Fighting against reality
by wolfhowler245
Summary: Just when Inuyasha and Kagome finally get together Naraku intervenes. execpt this time he has another demon doing his bidding, Mauro the fear demon. With kagome entangled in Mauro's trap, Inuyasha must do whatever he can to save her. INUxKAG
1. Nightmares

A girl walked along a broken road. Her legs weary from walking. Sores had begun to form at the edges of her lips from the lack of water. "_Only a few more miles" _she thought to herself. The heat had started to take its toll on her tired and weak body. Step by step she could feel herself weakening. Her shirt was slightly torn at the rim of her sleeve. Her tear streeked face was stained with dirt. She was limping on her left leg that was sore and bruised. There was a gash on the side of her stomach that she held with one of her hands to slow down the bleeding.

Climbing up the hill she thought _"Am i going to die? No. I cant die. He's waiting for me." _With that she pushed herself to keep going. Once she reached the top of the hill she could see the little village that lay beyond. A wave of relief came over her as she quickley hurried down to the houses below. In the hut a man sniffed the air. _"Thats Kagome's blood" _he thought.He bolted out side the hut knocking down the cutain door. Once he reached outside he saw her. Her eyes were fixed on to him. Tears began to fall down the sides of her cheeks. She was finally there. Her pain was now going to be over. She stopped and looked at him, his face was shocked at the sight of her wounded body.

"Inuyasha!" she screamed while running to him as fast as she could.

Not realizing how weak her body really was, her eyes became dropey and her steps begun to stagger. The last image she saw before she blacked out was the boy running after her. Inuyasha saw the wounded girl begin to fall and quickley went to catch her. She landed right in his arms, her body trembling in pain.

"Kagome. Its me, Inuyasha, wake up Kagome. Wake up!" His words became frantic as he started to panic.

Sango and Miroku heard the screams and ran outside to see what had happened. They looked apon the ground and saw Inuyasha sitting, holding Kagome in his arms.

"Inuyasha...what happened?" the monk asked confused.

Inuyasha didnt reply, he only held Kagome closer. As he picked her up to take her inside her body shudered in pain. It had been a few hours since Inuyasha had found Kagome. She was layed on a mat inside the hut with a blanket over her. Every once in awhile she would move only to wince back in pain. It was late at night and Miroku, Sango and Shippo were asleep. Inuyasha though was still sitting next to Kagome. Her body had begun to shake violently. She had started to yell in her sleep. Out of her mouth came a scream

"INUYASHA!" Inuyasha softly patted her back.

"Its ok Kagome, im right here dont be afraid". Beads of sweat had formed on her forehead. Inuyasha took out a peice of cloth and wiped them away. As the cloth rubbed against her skin her eyes bagan to open.

"Inu...yasha...?" she faintly said.

"Kagome! Your awake?" he said suprisingly. She tired to get up but cried out in pain. He genltly grabed her to help her lay back down. "You shouldnt be up yet, your still to wounded." he said in concern.

"Inuyasha...?" she asked.

"Yes Kagome?" he quickley responded.

"Can you...hold me?" her eyes were shut and her face was pale.

"what...what do you mean" he asked.

"I...im scared. I need to know that your here"

Inuyasha's face was in awe. _"she's scared?"_ he thought to himself. Her eyes slightly opened as she began to speak.

"I had a nightmare. It was horrible. I watched as you...as you..." her eyes began to fill with tears.

"What is it Kagome. What did you see?" he asked. She turned and looked at him. The tears now falling down the sides of her cheeks.

"I watched as you died." Inuyasha's eyes grew wider as Kagome burst into tears.

"Kagome, its ok it was only a nightmare." He said trying to stop her from crying. He always hated it when she cried.

"But it felt so real. I thought i had lost you forever." Her voice became more afraid and broken.

"I wont ever leave you Kagome..." He gently lifted her up and laid her in his lap. "I will always be here to protect you." with that she smiled and fell back asleep. Morning had come and she awoke laying on her mat with hapy smiles looking down at her,

"Kagome! Im so happy your ok." Shippo said while leaping into her arms.

"Yes I am to relived that your are well." Miroku said with smirk on his face. "It would have been a shame to see a body as flawless as yours go to waste." Sango came up from behind him and slapped him upside the head.

"He does mean well Kagome...even if he is a leturus monk." she ended with a growl. Kagome smiled then noticed someone was missing.

"Where is Inuyasha?" she asked her friends.

"He left a little while ago, i think he said he was going to go and think somewhere." Miroku said while rubbing the lump on his head, Kagome tried to get up but she was still to weak for that. With a failed atempt, she layed back down.

"Let us leave then, Kagome needs her rest." Sango said while looking at the tired Kagome.

"I agree." Miroku said while stroking the back side of Sango. _SLAP_

"Get lots of rest Kagome." said Sango while dragging Miroku outside the hut. Once her friends had left Kagome closed her eyes and tried to fall aseep. The moment her eyes shut a vision of some sort came to her head. _It was of Inuyasha. She felt her arms were resticted. She looked down to see what was holding her back. Her wrists were tied to a thin tree of to the side. She watched as Inuyasha was talking to some one. It was Kikyo. Kagome's eyes grew wide and droped her mouth in suprise. _Kagome heard the sound of footsteps and awoke from her dream. She looked toward the door and saw Inuyasha staring at her. When she opened her eyes wide enough for him to see, he quickly came to her side.

"Are you ok Kagome?" He asked.

"Im fine." she looked away from him as she thought of the dream.

"Is something wrong?" he asked kind of confused.

"Its nothing." she said while shaking the dream out of her head.

"Kagome...can i ask you something?" she nodded her head in response. "I didnt want to ask you this untill you were well enough to talk. What happened to you? You were supossed to be in your era for six days. She looked up at him.

"I wanted to come back early. I missed you." she smiled.

_"She missed me?" _he thought. She contined on with her story.

"I came out of the well and noticed how bright the sky was. It was beautiful. Then i got a bad feeling. I felt a tainted sacred jewel coming my way. I tried to run and get you guys but i wasnt fast enough. The next thing i knew i was up in the air. When i felt some one grab my waist i looked up to see who it was." Her voice became harsh and her eyes shut. "It was...Naraku." Inuyasha felt his fist clentch and he earged her to go on. "He started to laugh, he said that i was in for something big, something that would change everything as we knew it. He then released a miasma and made me pass out. I dont remeber anything after that." Inuyasha's fists were shaking now.

"Damn that Naraku!" he slammed his fist into the ground. "I shouldve known that he would pull something like this." he glanced back at Kagome who had laid back down.

She heard Inuyasha run off out of the hut. Kagome sighed as a small pain came from the wound on her side. She sat up and unwraped the bandage around her stomach. Taking the last bit of cloth off, she noticed that there was a purple coloration surounding the edges of the gash. _"Maybe i shouldnt tell anyone about this, expecaily not Inuyasha." _She reached over an grabed the roll of fresh bandages and re-wraped her wound. She stuck the old ones back deep into her back pack so that her friends would not descover the purple color that appeared on them.


	2. Discovered

It was getting late and the sun began to set. By the time Inuyasha got back to the hut, it was dark. He just quietly sat in the corner and leaned up against the wall while his freinds all ate thier roasted fish. His mind started to wander back to the previous day when he saw kagome running down the hill to him. He remembered the look in her eyes. Fear and pain had overcome them. _"How could I let that happen to kagome?"_ Inuyasha closed his eyes feeling very guilty for what had happened to her. When his eyes shut he remembered what kagome has said the previous night. _"Can you...hold me? I...im scared. I need to know that your here."_ He was deep in thought when he heard someones voice.

"Here you go Inuyasha." Kagome said, Handing him a cup of ramen. Though she was in pain, she smiled at him as he took it out of her hands.

Inuyasha looked down at the hot cup of noodles before him. The steam slowly floated up into the air. He then looked back at kagome. She was in so much pain but had still managed to make him something to eat. _"How does kagome do it? How can she still be so kind and thoughtful while in so much pain?" _He thought as he looked back to the cup of soup. He slowly ate it and went back to his thoughts.

The next morning, Kagome was the first to wake up. She slowly got out of bed, trying not to make a sound. As she started to walk outside the door but someone's voice had stopped her.

"You think i couldnt hear you?" Inuyasha said while opening one eye. He stood up. "And just where do you think your going?" He asked looking right at her.

"I just wanted to get some fresh air, ive been in that hut forever." She said while smiling.

"Why didnt you come wake me, I dont want you to go out on your own right now your still badly injured." There was a slight bit of concern on his face.

"I didnt want to wake you." She started to walk outside and Inuyasha quickley followed after her.

She walked to the river and sat down along the bank. Inuyasha came up from behind and sat down next to her. The two stared at the rushing water that ran pass them. Every once in awhile a fish would pass by.

"Inuyasha, we can leave today." Kagome said, breaking the silence. Inuyasha looked at her confused. "I know that you dont like it when we stay in one place for to long . We can continue in search for Naraku, if you want."

"Kagome. Are you sure that your ok. I dont want you to be in pain, we can stay if you need to." Inuyasha said while looking at her wounded side.

"Im fine. I want to be on the road." She got up and began to walk back to the hut.

Inuyasha watched her slightly limp back to the small straw house. He stood up and walked back with her. Once they had gotten back the others were all awake and eating their rice breakfasts. Kagome had told them about leaving and started to gather up her things. Everyone was outside the hut and Kagome yelled to them that she would be out in a few minuetes. She sat down on the mat and unwrapped her bandages, hoping that the color would be gone. She carfully inspected her wound only to find that it was still there. _"What is this stuff any way?"_ She asked herself while wipping away the purple puss. Once the new bandage was on she grabed her fully-stuffed back pack and ran outside to follow the others. They had been walking for quiet sometime when Inuyasha smelled a firmilar scent. It was Naraku's. He signaled the others and they started to run tward it. Miroku, Sango and shippo were ridding on Kirara while Kagome was on Inuaysha's back. Once they got threw the trees and into a clearing they noticed Kagura standing there, holding up her fan and ready to strike.

Kagome got off Inuyasha "Kagome stay back." She nodded in response and steped back behind him. Kagura chuckled at this sight. She un-did her fan and smirked at them. Inuyasha drew out sword, ready to attack her. Miroku and Sango finally caught up with them and asked Kagome what was going on. Then they saw kagura flick he fan in the air.

"Dance of the blades!" She screamed while the blades began to rush toward them.

Inuaysha blocked them and then went running after her. The two batled for a few minuetes before Kagura sent out her Dance Of Dragons. The swirling wind kicked up dust and debree everywhere. It was so thick that they couldnt even see their hands in front of them.

Miroku covered his mouth and shouted "Everyone stay together!"

Inuyasha's ears were sharp and his eyes were on the alert. Once the dust started to clear he heard a scream. He looked behind him and Kagura was holding kagome in her arms. She held her fan against Kagome's throat.

"Kagome!" Inuaysha screamed. His hands tightened around Tetsiaga. Kagura grabed a feather from her hair and lifted Kagome in the air.

"Inu-" Kagome started to scream but was cut off by a pain in her side. She looked down to see blood coming from the wound. _"Not now Kagura." _A voice said in Kagura's head. She smirked.

"Fine." She pouted. Kagome grabed her side to stop the bleeding. Kagura looked down to the crouched girl. "Your a nuisence" Kagura's hand pushed Kagome off the feather. She screamed while free falling in the air. Inuyasha sheathed Tetsiaga and ran to catch Kagome.

"Damn you Kagura!" He yelled while Kagura got away. Kagome was sitting on the ground with Inuyasha sitting next to her. She removed her hand and once she saw that there was the purple color coming out of her wound along with the blood, she quickly covered it up. Inuyasha had seen a slight glance of it and grabed her hand away from the wound. The cut had much more purple puss coming out of it then before.

"Kagome are you ok?" He asked.

"Im fine. Really." She pulled away from him and tried to cover it up with a torn piece of her shirt.

"No your not." he looked her straight in the eye and pulled away the cloth. The others had ran over to see what was wrong. Inuyasha examined it with his eyes squinted. "What can it be?" He asked as Miroku exaimened it.

"It is a Miasma." he answered. "But its not fresh, it has been there for a couple of days. All of them turned to look at Kagome, her cheeks turned pink. She stood up and hurried to rap the wound up. She walked away, feeling embarassed.

"Kagome where are you going?" Sango asked. kagome didnt answer.

"Wait Kagome." said the worried kitsune.

"I...I will be back soon." She didnt even turn around, she just kept walking in the same direction. Once she was so far away that they couldnt see her anymore Inuyasha stood up and followed after her. When he caught up to her, he found her leaning up against a tree looking at the sunset.

"I cant believe i was so stupid to let Kagura take me like that. Im so stupid." She said putting herself down.

"No your not." Inuyasha said. Kagome jumped slightly and turned around.

"Huh?" she asked confused.

"Your not stupid." He replied while sitting down. There was a long silience and every once in awhile they would glance at each othre then look away. "Kagome why didnt you tell me about the miasma, you could have been seriously hurt by it."

"I didnt want you to worry about me. I know you hate it when i get in trouble and have to save me all the time." She sighed.

Inuyasha stared at her, watching as her head moved away from him. He grabed her arm and pulled her into a hug. "Dont ever think like that." He tightened his hug. "I will always protect you Kagome, I want you here with me, havnt you relized that yet?"

She smiled as the hug lasted like it had seemed forever. _"Inuyasha I want to be with you, here to" _she thought as the sun continued to set.

**Im going on vacation until sunday so i wont update till then 3 hope you review!**


	3. To Strong Of Feelings

Once the two got back to the others they sat down and set up camp. Kagome took the anti-poison out and drank some to stop the miasma from spreading. It was dark and the stars had come out. Shippo's eyes were slowly beginning to droop as he sat on Kagome's lap. A loud yawn came from him and he started to drift off to sleep. Miroku and Sango had already gone to bed a little while before. Kagome stared at the fire thinking about what Inuyasha had said._ "I will always protect you Kagome, I want you here with me, haven't you realized that yet?" _ The light from the fire started to dim and the glow slowly faded away.

"Kagome. You should get to bed too." Inuyasha said while looking at the now snoring Shippo. Kagome nodded her head and slipped into her sleeping bag. Inuyasha watched as the girl closed her eyes. Her breathing became a patterned rhythm. Every once in a while her lips would curl into a small smile. He couldn't help but watch her. A piece of her hair fell onto her face and Inuyasha was tempted to push it away, but stopped when her eyes started to blink open. She had been asleep for a while and it was now the middle of the night. She sat up and reached for her yellow bag. She pulled out two aspirin and a bottle of water. After she took them, Kagome rubbed her temples with her fingers.

"What's the matter Kagome?" Inuyasha asked.

"Inuyasha, I thought you were asleep. It's nothing, just a headache." She stepped out of the sleeping bag and leaned up against the tree, beside Inuyasha.

The fire was now almost out and they both could see the stars clearly above them. A shooting start whizzed by and Kagome smiled at the sight. Inuyasha gazed at her smile. Some how her smile would always make him happy, even when he was in the worst moods. That was one thing he loved about her. Her smile. So many times they had moments like this when he could easily tell her how he feels but it was like the words were trapped inside him.

"Kagome..." He started to say.

"Yes Inuyasha?" Her eyes turned to him.

"Uh...do you feel better?" He cursed himself in his head for not saying what he wanted to.

"Yeah. Thanks for worrying." She said while she softly smiled at him. There it was again. That feeling he got when she smiled. It was as if every thing else in the world didn't matter. Only she mattered to him. Blushing he turned away. Kagome watched as he did this and a look of disappointment came over her face. She stood up and walked back to her sleeping bag. Carefully lifting up the kitsune, she slipped back into bed. When Inuyasha noticed this he shut his eyes and went back to his thoughts. _"Great you blew it, again." _He sighed and tried not to think about it. Dawn had come and everyone would be waking up soon. Miroku was the first to get up. He walked over to Inuyasha and sat down next to him.

"What is it monk?" Inuyasha said opening his eyes.

"I heard voices last night. Just what were you and Kagome doing at such a late hour?" He voice became smug and he lifted his eyebrows. Inuyasha clinched his fist and hit the monk over the head.

"Nothing happened, we were just talking." Inuyasha said responding to the perverted comment. The raise of voices woke Sango and Shippo. Shippo climbed onto Sango's shoulder as the all talked. Kagome was not the type to still be asleep. Right as Miroku went to wake her, Inuyasha stopped him.

"Let her sleep a while longer. She was up late." Sango leaned over to Miroku and asked what had happened between them.

"So they were just _talking _last night? That seems a little odd to me." She whispered in Miroku's ear. Inuyasha glared back at them and gave them a look of death which made them stop whispering.

"I'm going on a walk." Inuyasha said as he stood up and walked in the opposite direction of his friends.

Some time had passed and Inuyasha still hadn't returned. Kagome stirred and woke up. She stretched her arms in the air while letting out a yawn. "Wow what time is it? I must have been asleep for ever." Kagome said to here friends.

"We were going to wake you up but Inuyasha said that you needed to sleep." Shippo said as he hopped onto her shoulder.

"I see...Where is he anyways?" She asked.

"Inuyasha went on a walk a while ago." said Sango, petting Kirara.

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Inuyasha had been walking a long time before reliezing how far he had gotten away from the group. His thoughts constantly brought him back to last night._ "Damn it. I should have told her how I felt. How her sent sends warmth through my body and how much her smile brings me joy. I shouldve told how much I care and love her...that must be it, i must love Kagome."_ At that thought a small smile appeared on his face. "Ok thats it. Im going to tell Kagome how i feel." Inuyasha turned to go back to his friends when he heard the scream of Shippo's cry and the roar of Sango's Hiraikotsu. He watched as he saw numerous trees fall o the ground, then the light from Kagome's arrow flying into the air. Inuyasha started to run as fast as his feet could take him, when he was just about there, he saw a large demon appeared before his friends.

One of its giant hands reached down and grabed Shippo from behind. Kagome came running after them. She grabed one of her arrows and stabed the large beast in the leg. Then demon immediatly droped the Kitsune and went for Kagome.

"Stay out of this wench!" He said as he threw her against a tree.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha said jumping from out of the forest. He ran to her. Her human body was bruised and there was a slight cut on the top of her head. Kagome was unconcious against the tree. Inuayasha turned toward the demon.

"Damn you, your going to pay for this!" The demon chuckled at Inuyasha's threat.

"What are you going to do, your only a pitifull half-demon." The moster said in response. Inuyasha took out tetsiaga a used the wind scar to send the demon into the netherworld. He looked back at Kagome who was still lying on the ground, against the tree.

It was dusk and Kagome still hadnt woken up. Sango and Shippo had put a damp wash cloth onto her forehead to ease the swollen bump. Inuyasha and Miroku sat near the fire. Inuyasha felt the wind pick up and sniffed the air. His eyes went wide and his face was in shock. He immediatly stood up and looked in the direction of the sent. He quickly ran off to the source.

"Wait, Inuyasha where are you going!" Shippo yelled.

"Take care of Kagome." Inuyasha managed to say before disapearing in the trees. Miroku and Sango looked in the distance and saw why Inuaysha had run off. The two turned their heads back at Kagome.

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Inuyasha immediatly stopped when he found the source of the sent. A drop of sweat ran down the side of his face as he looked into the eyes of the person that stood before him.

"Kikyo."


	4. True Emotions

**Sorry it took so long to update. Been way busy since school is about to start. Read and review! 3**

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"Inuyasha I knew that it wouldn't be long until you came. Your nose is extremely sensitive is it not?" Kikyo said with a smirk on her face.

"What do you want with me?" Inuyasha replied to her comment.

"I just want to talk Inuyasha, is that so bad?" Her eyes looked up and stared straight at him. "It has been awhile since I've seen you. How is that reincarnation of mine?"

Inuyasha looked away from her. "She's ok…I guess…"

"Is she still being a klutz and getting in our way? That seems exactly like her doesn't it?" Kikyo said while laughing.

"Don't talk about her that way and she's not the one getting in between us, you are!" The words just slipped out of his mouth. Kikyo stepped back at his statement.

"Ah I see, so that is how you feel is it?" Kikyo turned her face away from him. For a moment there was a slight pause. "Tell me Inuyasha, do you love her? Do you love Kagome?" Her eyes looked curious to his answer.

"Kikyo...I…" Inuyasha didn't know what to say. Could it be true that he loved Kagome? It had been a question that he had always found himself coming back to. He closed his eyes. "Kikyo, we can't be together any more. You are not of this world. We…we don't belong together it would be wrong to Kagome." Inuyasha motioned to turn around.

"So that's it then. You won't keep your promise?" Tears slowly filled up in her eyes.

"Kikyo I… I'm sorry. Your not the same person you were fifty years ago." Once Inuyasha said that Kikyo's eyes shot open.

"You will regret this Inuyasha I promise." Her soul collectors carefully picked her up off the ground and began to lift her in the air. "Then once you realized what a huge mistake you have made, you will go to hell with me like you promised." After a few seconds, Kikyo disappeared.

Inuyasha watched as the priestess faded away into the darkness of night. _"Goodbye Kikyo."_ Inuyasha thought as he started to walk back to camp. _"Now there is only one thing left to do. I have to Kagome how I feel."_

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"Kagome, you're awake!" Miroku said while helping the girl to her feet. Kagome looked around to find one of her friends missing.

"Hey you guys, where is Inuyasha?" She curiously asked. Miroku and Sango both glanced at each other then immediately down to the floor. Kagome looked at them confused. Sango was the one to speak.

"Kagome…he umm…." She couldn't bare to see her friend in pain. She didn't want to have to tell her where he had gone. She looked back at Miroku, and he knew exactly what she was thinking.

"Inuyasha has gone to see lady Kikyo." Miroku said while looking away from her. Kagome's face turned from bright and happy to pale and emotionless.

"Oh, I see." She turned away from her friends, not letting them see the pain that shown on her face. Although they couldn't see her face they knew she was upset. Sango made a motion to comfort her but decided it effortless.

"I am…umm…going to take a walk, I want to be alone for a little while." Kagome said while walking away in the direction of the forest.

"We understand Kagome." Sango replied awhile watching her friend hold back tears.

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It was late and Inuyasha had just gotten back.

"How could you do that? Geez Inuyasha you're so low sometimes." Shippo yelled at the half demon. Inuyasha replied by hitting him on the head, making a large bump appear.

"Now, now he's only a little fellow remember." Said Miroku trying to comfort Shippo.

"He is right though!" Sango yelled. "How could you do that to Kagome? She is always there for you and how do you repay her? By going to see Kikyo. "

Sango's words hit him hard. "But…but…" Inuyasha tried to explain but Sango only hit him on the head with her boomerang, making a bump that matched Shippo's.

"You guys just don't understand, I only went to see Kikyo to tell her I can no longer keep my promise to her. I was saying goodbye." Sango's eyes turned from fiery red to wide open. She and the rest of the gang were shocked. Inuyasha looked at their surprised faces and turned away as he slightly blushed.

"Inuyasha you must go find Kagome and tell her. It is late and who knows what kind of trouble she has gotten into." Miroku said to the half demon.

At the thought of Kagome in danger, Inuyasha quickly jumped from his resting place, after her. _"Kagome please be alright." _Inuyasha thought while following her scent. Inuyasha listened and could hear her voice. Who was she talking to? Was she talking to herself?

"This is the place where Inuyasha and I first met." Kagome's eyes saddened as flash backs of memories poured into her head.

Inuyasha soon caught up and found her staring at the sacred tree. "She looks so sad." Inuyasha thought. Kagome quickly turned around to the sound of another person's voice. _"Did I say that aloud?"_ Inuyasha turned his head and a deep blush fell upon his cheeks.

"What are you doing here Inuyasha?" Kagome asked coldly. "Shouldn't you be with Kikyo? I don't want to keep you from her." Her words made her eyes sting with tears and her voice become soft and broken. Inuyasha smelled the salty water that attempted to pour from her eyes as she turned around.

Inuyasha slowly walked up behind her. "Kagome…please…don't cry…its ok." Inuyasha said while resting a hand on her shoulder. Kagome immediately shot back around to turn face to face with him.

"I'm not crying and it isn't ok!" She screamed. Tears began to fall down and off her cheeks. "Why? Why would you do that to me?" She asked between tears. Inuyasha looked surprised as he watched the girl crying before him.

"What do you mean Kagome what did I do to you?" Inuyasha answered.

"Are you seriously going to stand in front of me and deny it?" The tears had stopped falling but were still swelled up in her eyes.

"Deny what?" Inuyasha asked.

"I can't believe you. Here you are trying to comfort me and you can't even tell me the truth?" She looked at him wanting an answer.

"Kagome I don't know what you want me to say, I-" Inuyasha was cut off.

"Why did you betray me and go after Kikyo! I have always been with you Inuyasha. Always there when you need me, always there when you're hurt. I just don't understand at all. How could you do this to me?" Kagome shouted at him, showing all kinds or emotions. Inuyasha eyes went wide as Kagome continued to scream at him.

"It just kills me inside to know that you are with her, to watch you together while I'm stuck on the side lines." She closed her hand and brought it to her chest while wiping away the tears from her eyes.

"Kagome let me explain-" Inuyasha pleaded.

"Inuyasha I don't want to hear it!" She swung her arm in front of her as if to swipe away some of the pain. She took a deep breath and leaned against the tree. "Inuyasha do you know what its like to watch the person you love hold another women in their arms? Do you realize how much pain and anguish I feel every time you run to her?" She said while slowly sliding down to the ground. She was crouched against the tree with her legs curled up beside her. Her eyes where glittering in the moonlight from the tears that were falling down her cheeks. Inuyasha couldn't help but feel guilty. The women he loved was admitting all her feelings to him and all he did was stand there and watch her cry.

"Kagome listen to me." Inuyasha crouched down beside her putting both hands on her shoulders, trying again to comfort her.

"Don't touch me!" She yelled while raising an arm to slap him. She forced her hand to his face with a loud smack. She blinked open to find her hand strung upon Inuyasha's cheek. She looked right into his golden amber eyes as he gently took her hand. Tears were now almost falling as he took her into an embrace. She buried her head in his kimono letting all the tears that she was trying to hold back fall freely.

"Kagome please don't cry." Inuyasha pleaded while still holding her in his arms. "Listen to me Kagome. I went to see Kikyo to tell her that I couldn't keep the promise to her anymore. I told her that I wanted to live and that I had someone to live for and protect." At the moment Kagome's eyes shot open and looked at Inuyasha. He gave a small nod and pulled her back into the embrace. A small smile grew on Kagome face as he wiped away her tears with his hand.


	5. The plan and Kagome's pain

Inuyasha and Kagome began walking back to toward their friends, both their hands clutched around each others. They didn't say much only starred at the stars then a couple of quick glances at each others faces. Kagome couldn't help but smile. Inuyasha on the other hand was blushing profusely. His cheeks were bright red. Kagome only giggled at the sight. Seeing her laugh, Inuyasha's blush disappeared and he smiled back at her. Kagome's head was in a slight daze of happy thoughts until a sharp pain interrupted them. She immediately stopped in her tracks which jolted the unaware Inuyasha back.

"What is the matter Kagome?" he asked confused. She let go of his hand and sat down on the ground. She reached into her yellow back pack and took some aspirin and swallowed them.

"I'm fine, just a little headache." She said while trying to please his worried face.

"Kagome you have had a lot of those recently. Maybe you should-" He was interrupted by her.

"Lets not worry to much about it ok." She grabbed his hand and lifted herself off the ground and they continued to walk back to their friends.

Once they got there Sango quickly noticed them holding hands. She made a smirk that made Inuyasha let go of Kagome and blush deeply. Kagome starred at her hand for a moment then hid it behind her back. Sango looked at her and smiled. Kagome gave her a little wink that said she would tell her about it later. Kagome yawned and decided that she and Shippo should go to bed. Before curling up into her sleeping bag she turned to Inuyasha and just smiled the sweetest smile she could possibly give him. He did the same as he returned the favor. Long after she had closed her eyes Inuyasha was still watching her. Miroku had seen the small spark between them and the look upon Inuyasha's face when she smiled at him. Miroku waited until he knew Sango and Kagome were asleep before talking to Inuyasha.

"Is there something you want to talk about Inuyasha?" Inuyasha looked at him in slight confusion. "I noticed the small affection between you and Kagome recently."

"Yeah and what of it monk?" Inuyasha quickly responded.

"Now Inuyasha there is no need for your temperament, it was only a question. I want to know what happened between you and Kagome. "

"Nothing happened, why do you say anything happened?" Inuyasha's cheeks turned a light shade of pink. Miroku just shook his head. _"There is no way I'm going to get anything out of him. I guess I will have to wait for Kagome or Sango to tell me."_ Miroku sighed then leaned up against the tree to try and fall asleep. _"Inuyasha can be so hard headed sometimes." _

That next morning everyone woke up to the peaceful chirping of birds. The group of friends enjoyed each others company, talking and sighing at the beauty of nature that surrounded them. Unfortunately that peace ended all too soon when the scent of Naraku floated in the air. Inuyasha quickly picked it up and his friends immediately stepped into action. Only after a few minuets of searching did they find Kagura. Her fan swiftly spread out and hundreds of Naraku's demons around her. She shot open her eyes and released her blades. The demons quickly responded after.

"Damn you Kagura." Inuyasha said as he and Kagome jumped out of the way, dodging the attack. All of them were fighting the endless demons that were confronting them. Shippo hid behind Kirara as she pounced on top of some. Then all at once the demons turned to Inuyasha and Kagome, trampling right between them. Kagura jumped in the middle and used her dance of the dragon wind to send them both flying in opposite directions.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome screamed as she flew back into the trees, knocking her head on one of them. When she came to, she was farther away from the battle then she thought. She couldn't hear nor see any of her friends. Then she heard a voice.

"Inuyasha!" Some one was calling his name, but who was it? Kagome could hear the voice and it sounded familiar. She decided to investigate. As she got closer, the voice got louder and louder, then finally she found them. "Inuyasha I knew it wouldn't be long until you came." There was a slight smile upon her face. Kagome gasped at the sight. It was Inuyasha and he was with Kikyo. Why? Why would he do this to her after what they talked about only the night before? She watched as Inuyasha and Kikyo continued talking. "Do you remember our plan Inuyasha?" Kikyo began to talk again before Inuyasha could say anything. "Remember? You were supposed to go tell that girl, Kagome that you were going to leave me, then get close to her so that she would be off guard when you killed her. I assume you have told her that you wanted to protect her and had to live for her? Good job." Kikyo heard the slight rustle of the tree branches. She glanced over and saw Kagome standing there, watching. _"Finally she is here."_ Kikyo thought as she took a step closer to Inuyasha. "Kikyo I would never-" but before he could finish she grabbed his kimono and pulled him into and embrace, pressing her lips against his. Kagome's eyes filled with tears and widened as she watched the betrayal before her. She fell to her knees, and let out a small muffled cry as she tried to hold her tears back from falling. Inuyasha's sensitive ears picked up the sound and he pulled away from Kikyo. He looked over and saw Kagome on the ground with the head buried in her hands. Tears were falling freely down her cheeks, hitting the soft grass that lay below her.

"Kagome…" Inuyasha said surprised of her appearance. "Wait before you-" he was cut off before he could continue.

"Stop." Kagome said while pulling her hands from her face. "Just stop." Her hair swayed in the wind to reveal a tear stricken face and eyes full of sorrow. Slowly she stood up, her knees weak from despair. Inuyasha starred into her eyes. He could see the pain that lay behind them. He made a step towards her only to be stopped by her words.

"So this was your plan all along huh?" The tears were now gone, though her face was still showed emotion. She slightly smirked while her head was still lowered, looking towards the ground. "I guess I was pretty foolish." She paused slightly and her fist tightened. "I can't believe how totally foolish I was to care about you all this time. And I only now realize what a complete waste of time that was." Tears threatened to fall from her eyes but she held them back.

"Kagome let me explain please." Inuyasha pleaded.

"Save it! I don't want to hear anymore!" she screamed as her head shot up, her eyes starring right into Inuyasha's. A shot of pain ran through her head. She placed one hand on her forehead and the other was gripped around the jewel. Her voice calmed and she gripped the jewel tighter. "Well Inuyasha this is what you wanted right?" Kagome ripped it off the necklace and tossed it to the ground below his feet. He starred down at them and watched them glisten in the sun for a moment, only to turn back to Kagome. "I…I hope you and Kikyo have a good life together." Her voice became broken and the lump in the middle of her throat brought the tears back to her eyes. She couldn't hold them back any longer. In a desperate attempt to hide the tears that were spewing down her face, she turned around to leave.

"Kagome wait! Please stop! Let me explain." Inuyasha begged as she walked away. He stretched out an arm to her as if to try and reach for her, though she was much too far away from him. "Kagome! Kagome!" She could hear him screaming out for her and it only brought more pain and tears. She began to run for she couldn't handle the sound of his screams any longer. Only a few minutes after she began to run another shot of pain ran through her head, this one much stronger. Through the trees she could see a river and staggered to reach it. Just before the sandy bank, she collapsed. As she drifted into unconsciousness a voice came into her head. _Don't you see now? Inuyasha never loved you, he always loved Kikyo. I can take away your pain Kagome, you will never have to suffer like that again. _The voice drifted away as the last thing she pictured in her mind was Inuyasha's face.


	6. Desire

"Kagome come back, please let me explain!" He shouted. As he was ready to run after her, Kikyo placed her hand onto his shoulder.

"Inuyasha don't you see? Now with that girl gone we can finally be together." She said while turning him around. She once again latched her arms around him and hugged him tightly. Inuyasha was still in shock of what just happened and he couldn't help but think of Kagome. Her eyes stuck in his mind. They are all he could think about. Those eyes that had so much pain and sorrow consumed in them, and he knew that he was the cause of it. A deep feeling of guilt grew quickly in the pit of stomach.

"Kikyo." He said pushing her away from him. "This isn't right. I already told you that I want to be with Kagome." He paused for a moment and picked up the jewel. "I…I love her." A small smile grew upon his face as he turned and walked away from the clay priestess that stood before him. She was shocked at Inuyasha's actions and rage grew within her. She too, turned away and walked off into the distance, disappearing into the darkening forest.

"_I must talk to Kagome. I have to tell her what really happened and how much I love her." _ He walked back to the village holding the sacred jewel clutched in his

hand. His grip tightened as he saw the village just below the hill. _"This is it."_

Slowly pulling the mattress door open he scanned the room for Kagome. But she wasn't there. Slight confusion took over the half demon as he angrily walked into the hut.

"Miroku!" Inuyasha yelled surprising the monk. "Where is Kagome?"

"The last time I saw her was in battle. I thought we all agreed to meet back here if we got split up? Neither you or Kagome returned so I assumed she was with you." His face showed a little confusion.

"You mean she is not with you Inuyasha?" Sango shot up, dropping the glass of tea and letting it spill upon the dirt floor. "Are you sure she didn't go back to her time beyond the well?

"There is no way she would go back without telling one of us." Inuyasha's fist tightened as he realized what kind of danger she could actually be in. "This is all my fault." He whispered as he ran out of the hut in search of her scent.

Her eye lids slowly opened, blinking frantically trying to adjust to the light. She scanned the area around her to see where she was. Noticing the small river before her she remembered everything before she passed out. Inuyasha with Kikyo, the pain in her head and finally the little voice in the back of her mind. All sense of those moments came flooding back to her. Her heart ached with betrayal and her eyes threatened tears once again. Then she heard the sound of foot steps and whirled around to see who it was. Her eyes widened as she looked at the figure before her.

"Happy to see you too Kagome." Naraku said leaning up against a tree. Kagome quickly sat up and got into defense position. "Don't be alarmed I am not here to fight you. And besides there is no point you don't have anything to protect you with." His voice gave a slight chuckle as Kagome noticed she didn't have neither her bow nor arrows.

"If you aren't here to fight then what do you want?" Her voice was angry.

"Calm down Kagome I am only here to talk to you and give you a proposal."

"You mean a deal! Well you can just save it I would never help you." She turned her back toward him, but made sure she could still see him out of the corner of her eye.

"Not even to keep your pain away?" Naraku said with a glint in his eye. Kagome realized whose voice it was in her head earlier. "Not even to erase the horrible pain and torment of betrayal?" Kagome dropped her head a little covering her eyes with her bangs. _"Well maybe I should…wait what am I thinking? I would never work for Naraku; he is just trying to manipulate me." _

"I would never help you Naraku! All you do is cause people pain! I would never be a part of that!" she yelled turning around to face him. "No matter how much Inuyasha has hurt me," Her voice calmed a little as she paused. "I would still never work for you!" A faint shade of pink glow appeared around her as she stood and watch Naraku's eyes widen. "Now just go away!" she yelled, sending some of her power at him. Naraku's miasma appeared taking him into the sky before her power could reach him.

After he finally disappeared she glanced down at her body. _"Wow my power has never done that before. Does this mean they are tied in with my emotions?"_ She let out a long sigh as she sat back down on the river bank. She pulled her knees into her chest and held her position there for awhile watching the river's current pass by. It had been a few hours she had woken and the sun was now setting.

"I guess I will have to face Inuyasha sooner or later." She sighed getting up to walk back to the village. _"Still, it was hard enough before I don't how I'm going to do it now."_ Her thoughts were interrupted by bushes rustling next to her. Her muscles began to tighten afraid that it was Naraku. She shut her eyes, for this time she knew he would attack. When there was noting but silence for a few minuets she opened her eyes to see who it was. Standing in front of her, only a few feet away was Inuyasha. His eyes we glanced down to the floor.

"You weren't at the hut so I…came for you." His eyes never turned to look at her. Kagome was defiantly not expecting him to be the one standing there. She didn't know what to say.

"Inuyasha…" her voice saddened and her arms fell to her sides. At the sound of his voice his head looked at her. Her eyes were covered once again by her bangs. "Why are you here?" She held the tears back from her eyes.

"I…I…" the truth was that he really didn't know how to apologize after what happened. "I came to see if you were in danger." He said hoping to stop the uncomfortable silence.

"Well I'm fine. It's not like you did anything to hurt me." Her head looked up as she walked forward. "Oh wait, I almost forgot. I saw you and Kikyo kissing together."

"Kagome wait!" He whipped around to face her. Kagome stopped in her tracks for a moment.

"Inuyasha I don't need this right now ok. Just leave me alone. I get it. I really do. Kikyo have her life for yours there is no way I can compete with that. Just take the sacred jewel and go, I'm sure she is waiting." She began to continue walking when she felt a hand wrap gently around her wrist and turn her around.

"Kagome listen to me." His eyes were full of passion and guilt. "It wasn't what it looked like ok?"

"Oh ok then why don't you tell me what it was." Kagome replied angry.

"You are right, Kikyo did give her life for mine and it would only be right if I repaid that debt," Hearing the words from his mouth only made it harder for her to stand their and listen. "Then I realized it was her decision to do that. Kagome you changed me, before you I never trusted anyone. I don't love her anymore. She is not the Kikyo she used to be. Her hate has now consumed her soul and she couldn't even compare to you." Kagome looked up at him and watched as he talked. His eyes were glistening in the sun and his face was calm and serene. "Kagome I…I…love you."

Her eyes went wide. Did she actually here that? From Inuyasha no less? He held her in an embrace; there faces only inches away from touching. Quickly he pulled her closer to him, his lips pressing against hers. Both secretly wanted this for a long time now and now that it happened over a whelming joy and happiness filled within their hearts. The world seemed to stop in that moment and it was if nothing else matter. Finally when they pulled there was a slight pause before Kagome burst into tears.

"Why are you crying?" Inuyasha laughed as she buried herself in his chest letting her tears drip onto his kimono. He placed a hand on the back of her head and gently stroked her lower back with the other, to try and comfort her. After a few minuets the crying slowed and she looked up at him.

"Did you mean what you said? Do you really love me?"

"Of course I do." He said while pulling her back into the embrace. Her hand clutched onto his kimono as the tears dried. Inuyasha had in nose buried in her hair, breathing in her scent. Kagome tightened the hug and Inuyasha looked down at her. "I love you too." She whispered.

As the couple hugged under the sunset, Naraku watched from Kanna's mirror. "Now do you see? I told you that half demon Inuyasha was infatuated with her, your reincarnation." Out of the darkness of Naraku's caste, came Kikyo. Her bow was clenched in her right fist and her eyes were full of hate.

"I will do what ever you ask." She replied.

"Good."


	7. Finally Relaxing

That next day Kagome went back to her time so that she could regain her strength and catch up on school. Although Inuyasha didn't want her to leave, he knew that she had to. After saying goodbye to her friends Inuyasha walked Kagome to the well.

"Well I guess you have to go now. Goodbye Kagome." Inuyasha's voice was a little saddened as he watched the woman he loved gently lift herself upon the lip of the well. He turned and began to walk back to the village when he felt a hand grasp his arm.

"Don't worry I wouldn't leave with out saying goodbye." She said sweetly, placing a kiss on his cheek. The half demon smiled and blushed as she waved goodbye and jumped into the well. Feeling much happier, he walked back to his friends.

"Kagome your back!" said Sota running up to her from the stairs.

"Oh, hi Sota. Yeah I just got back a few minutes ago." She said while plopping herself on a chair and dropping her yellow bag. "This back pack gets to be so heavy." She rubbed her shoulders gently.

"Where is Inuyasha?" Sota asked curiously. Kagome smiled at the mention of his name and began to day dream. "Kagome? Hello? Kagome you there?" Sota persisted. Kagome realized that she was off in dream land and deep blush set in upon her face. _"I think I'm blushing!" _she placed her hands on her face and felt the heat of embarrassment. _"Oh no I AM blushing!" _

"Kagome are you ok?" Sota asked. Kagome sat up straight and fumbled around a little trying to conceal her bright red cheeks.

"Oh, um Inuyasha? He is still in the feudal era." She finally responded. "I think I'm going to take a nice long bath, tell mom I'm home ok?" she got up and walked up stairs to the bathroom.

Sango sat on top of the little hill that looked down on the village. Kirara was curled up next her. Sango watched as she saw the children playing and the people laughing. It was such a happy village. It made her think of the demon slayers and of her family. The memory of that night so long ago with Kohaku came back to her mind. She shook her head and tried to stop thinking of her little brother. She sighed deeply while continuously stroking Kirara's back. Her tears wanted to fall so badly as she thought of all the happy memories she had with her brother when they were younger. But now he didn't remember any of them or even her. That was the most painful thing about the whole situation. He didn't remember. He didn't remember anything, nothing of there home, their friends or their family. It tore her apart inside knowing that. She dropped her head and continued thinking.

Kirara heard gentle foot steps a turned around to see who it was. She mewed when she saw Miroku standing there. Sango turned around too, her eyes were teary as she looked at the monk.

"Miroku!" she yelled, running up into his arms. He gently stroked her hair as she cried.

"Sango don't worry, Kohaku is in a better place now." He said while trying to comfort her.

Kohaku had died only a few weeks ago and Sango was still deeply in grief for him. It had been just before Kagome had gone back to her era and came back hurt. They were in battle with Naraku when Sango was injured. Miroku was out cold and Inuyasha had his hands full. Kagome had left early that morning back home and had no knowledge of the battle that was going on after she left. One of Naraku's tentacles came flying at Sango. There was no way she could move out of its path. Then Kohaku jumped in front of her letting it pierce through his chest. He landed on the ground beside her. "I'm sorry Sango." He said trying to hold back the pain. She gently lifted his head up while he talked. "I remember everything. I remember father and the village, I remember Kirara and I remember you…Goodbye sister." Kohaku's eyes shut for the very last time, never opening again. Sango's tears fell from her eyes and landed on his cheek. "Goodbye Kohaku."

Remembering his death only made her cry harder in Miroku's arms. Both of them sat on the hill and held each other close.

"Shippo where is Sango and Miroku?" Inuyasha said sitting down next to the little fox demon.

"He went to find Sango a little bit ago."

Inuyasha sat against the wall of the hut and went deep into thought. He kept thinking about Naraku. He noticed it before but it was faint. He was sure that Kagome had the faint scent of Naraku on her. "I don't get it. How did she get his scent on her?" His thoughts were interrupted when Shippo tugged on his sleeve

"Inuyasha look!" Shippo said holding a piece of woven cloth in the air. His smile reminded him of Kagome.

"What is it Shippo?" Inuyasha asked, with a eye brow raised.

"It's a handkerchief. I made if for kagome. Kaeda showed me how." His face was glowing with joy and Inuyasha could see how proud he was of it. It was a very light shade of pink and in the corners were small pink and red flowers, surrounded by leaves of green and yellow. "I have been working on it for the past couple days now and I'm finally finished." Another large smile grew on his face as he re-looked over his creation.

"Good job Shippo." Inuyasha praised. "By the way I was thinking of going to see Kagome tonight, do you want me to bring it to her?"

"Yeah that would be great! But make sure you mention how hard I worked on it and how I made it just for her ok?" The little fox demon said while the excitement grew in his body.

"Ok Shippo." Inuyasha laughed.

Kagome had been in the tub for about and hour and decided she should get out due to her pruned hands. She wrapped a soft blue towel around her and went towards the mirror above the sink. Gently she wiped away the steamy fog that covered her reflection. She looked at herself in the mirror and felt happy. Finally she felt as if she was now just Kagome, not just Kikyo's reincarnation. She took out her brush and her hair dryer and began to dry her hair. The hot air blew into her face and on her neck. It reminded her of Inuyasha when they were in the embrace. A large smile grew on her face as she continued to dry her hair.

Once she was done she went to change. Instead of putting on her normal school outfit she slipped into a yellow summer dress. Like the one when Inuyasha tried to send her back to her own era for safety so long ago. Once again she looked into the mirror to see how it fit. She turned to her right side then immediately to her left. A loud, long yawn came from her mouth and looked at her clock.

It said that it was 4 o'clock and so she decided she could take a nap for awhile. She laid down on her bead and gripped the pillow. _"Finally a real bed."_ Her thoughts then drifted her off to sleep.

Authors note: I want to thank everyone for the reviews; they really do inspire me to keep writing. I want to say a special thanks to my frequent viewers:

**Terra34**

**Meatballheadedprincess14**

**Taeniaea**

**Kisskagome13 and Inu-Anna**

**Yasha'z Wifey Kyome**

Thanks guys! 333


	8. The Dance

It was dark now and Miroku and Sango had come back. Inuyasha told them he was going to go see Kagome and walked to the well. Right before he jumped in Shippo came running up; out of breath he gave the handkerchief to Inuyasha.

"Don't forget this." he said.

"I won't." Inuyasha said while taking it out of Shippo's hands. He jumped through the well, watching the mystic blue light around him. Finally he was on the solid ground of the well. He jumped out and walked out the shrine doors. When walked past the sacred tree he looked up at Kagome's window and watched her shadow through the curtains.

It was now about 8:30 and Kagome had been awake for about an hour. She was cleaning her room listening to the radio when her favorite song came on. She just had to stop what she was doing and turn it up. The music was soft yet fast. The words were calming and at the same time exciting. That's why she loved it so much. Her body began moving to the beat and she shut her eyes and began to dance around her room.

Inuyasha heard the music and gently opened her window. He looked around and then saw Kagome dancing. He was mesmerized by the way she was moving. Her body moved and swayed to the beat of the song. Every once in a while she would do a little spin. Her face had a gentle, happy expression and her hair twirled and tossed as she moved around. Finally when the song was over she opened her eyes. Her face went bright red as she saw Inuyasha sitting on her window ceil. She fell to her knees feeling very embarrassed.

"Uh…how long were you umm….sitting there?" she questioned nervously.

"About 5 minutes or so, why?" Inuyasha answered while sitting down on her bed. Her face then turned an even darker shade of red then before.

"Wow this is embarrassing." She scratched the top of her head then immediately stood up to walk out of the room.

"Wait Kagome." He said

"Yeah what is it?" she said while turning her head.

"Why did you stop?" The sound of his voice was like an innocent child.

"Uh dancing?" she replied

"Yeah, you're really good. I liked it." She smiled while closing the door and walked over to sit down next to him.

"I guess your right." She said while Inuyasha pulled her closer. "Why don't you show me how you dance?"

"That's ok I'm good thanks."

"Oh come on there's no need to be embarrassed, it's only me." Kagome giggled.

"But I…" he started but stopped.

"You what? She asked while pulling away.

He looked away from her. "I… I don't know how to dance."

She stood up and grabbed his hand pulling him up off the bed. "Everyone knows how to dance" She tried to get him to dance but he just stood there. "Please dance with me. I will show you how. Please do it for me?" Kagome pleaded while giving Inuyasha a sad puppy dog face. "I know you want to." She smiled.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Ok fine I will dance with you, but if you make me look stupid I'm going to have to-" He was interrupted by Kagome's hug. He smiled as she embraced him. Kagome turned up the radio and the song had a fast bet to it.

"Ok Inuyasha now all you have to do is let the music take you away. Pretend you are floating in a river, and the current is making your body move around to its every whim." Slowly Inuyasha began to feel his hips and arms move to the beat. Before long they were both jumping and spinning around the room. Both of them laughed constantly as they danced to the music. Then a slow song came on.

"Uh what are we supposed to do now Kagome?" Inuyasha asked.

"Well you place you arms around my waist." She grabbed his hands and placed them right above her hips. "Then I place my arms around your neck." Inuyasha's cheeks turned a little pink. "Then you pull me close and hold me in you arms as we sway to the sound of the music." Kagome pulled herself closer to him looking deeply in his eyes. Soon Inuyasha wrapped his arms around her and she laid her head upon his chest. He rested his chin on her head and they slowly danced to the softening music. Inuyasha took a deep breath and consumed her scent. I didn't think he had ever been this happy in his entire life then at this moment.

Kagome turned her head back toward him and Inuyasha looked down to gaze into her chocolate brown eyes. Slowly their face inched close till there was only a small space left. Finally their lips touched. A feeling of excitement and passion grew with them and their kiss deepened. They didn't let go of each other till way after the song was over. Once they let go Kagome looked once again into his eyes. Happiness overwhelmed her and she hugged Inuyasha deeply.

"I love you Inuyasha."

"I love you too." Inuyasha tightened the hug and both stayed there for what seemed like forever.

"Kagome! Were home from the store!" Her mother yelled up the stairs. Both she and Inuyasha ran down to greet them. "Oh Inuyasha I didn't know that you were here. I will set another table setting so that you can have dinner with us."

At the table Inuyasha sat next to Kagome while they ate. Not much was said just the quietness of the family's company. Inuyasha reached down on Kagome's lap and held her hand. She glanced up at him and smiled. And there it was. The smile he loved. The smile that showed so much kindness and care and love. He would never get sick of her smile.

Sometime after dinner the family all went to sleep, that is except Inuyasha and Kagome. They both sat down on the couch in the living room and turned on the TV.

"Hey Inuyasha want to watch a movie?" Kagome asked.

"What is a ….movie?" Inuyasha asked innocently.

"Here I will show you." Kagome stood up and put in a scary movie for them to watch. It had been an hour or so, and the movie was getting good. Every light in the house was off except for the TV. By this tie Kagome's arms were wrapped around Inuyasha and every little sound made her jump. Then when someone popped out in the move Kagome screamed and jumped into Inuyasha's lap.

"Your scarred of this but not demons?" He laughed.

"Yes I am scared of this." She said in defense, holding on to Inuyasha tighter. He shook his head and continued to watch the movie. The whole time Kagome was in Inuyasha's arms, never moving. Towards the end Kagome started crying. In the movie the two lovers survived the monster and fell madly in love and finally kissed.

"I don't understand you women. One moment you're scared out of your wits and the other you're balling your eyes out." Kagome laughed at his comment. By the end of the movie Kagome was asleep. Although Inuyasha had his arms around her, he could tell that she was cold. Gently lifting her up, he place his Kimono around her then laid her back in his arms. Finally with her scent filled within him he fell asleep. And that's how the two stayed all night. They slept peacefully in each others arms, both had smiles upon their face.


	9. Two Different Worlds

The sun had risen and the beams of light had shown down through the window and on their faces. Kagome blinked her eyes open and slightly stirred around, trying to readjust herself. Her slight stir made Inuyasha's arms tighten around her, to make her know she was safe. She looked up at his sleeping face and smiled at how peaceful he looked. She closed her eyes again and snuggled closer to him. Only after about a minute did she shoot open her eyes and read the clock. It was 7:45 and her school started at 8:00.

"Ahhh I'm late!" She screamed trying to get up off the couch making her and Inuyasha tumble to the ground.

"Late for what?" He asked rubbing the back side of his head. A muffled scream came out of his kimono.

"School!" She tried to say while stuck in his kimono, struggling to get out.

"Hold still." Inuyasha laughed while unwrapping Kagome and helping her up. The moment she was on her feet she took off up stairs. From down stairs he could hear he frustrated screams and curses.

"I'm never going to make it." She said trying to brush her hair, eat her breakfast and put on her shoes all at the same time.

"Don't worry you will make it." Inuyasha said while trying to re assure her.

"Yeah and how the heck am I going to do that?" She said while shoving a piece of toast in her mouth.

"You have me." He said proudly with a smirk on his face. In a few minutes they were both out the door. Kagome was on Inuyasha's back as if they were once again chasing after Naraku. Inuyasha was jumping on the tops of buildings and running as swift as his feet could take him. Finally they were there.

"I think that's the fastest I've ever gotten to school." She laughed getting off of Inuyasha. "See you after school!" She yelled while trying to catch up with her friends. Inuyasha turned and went back to the house.

Shippo sat in the corner of the hut with his arms crossed and leg twitching.

"He kind of looks like Inuyasha there, doesn't he?" Sango whispered to Miroku.

"I heard that!" Shippo said while jumping up in the air and shaking his fist. Both Sango and Miroku laughed at the little fox demon. Shippo sat back down and continued on with his thoughts. _"That Inuyasha, he better of not have forgot to give Kagome that handkerchief I made her." _

Almost at that exact moment, Shippo's face popped in his head. _"Hmmm I wonder why I'm seeing that runt's face at a time like this. Oh well." _ He continued his walk back to Kagome's house. On the way back he watched the scenery before him. So many things in this time were unfamiliar to him. There were things that made lots of noise and smelled bad that Kagome called 'cars', what ever those were. They also had 'cameras' that took still images of people. And to top that off, ALL there food was spicy! Just thinking about that made Inuyasha shutter.

He finally got in a quiet neighborhood and looked around. He noticed a small park with children swinging on the swings and parents playing ball with them in the fields. He sat quietly in the tops of a tree watching the laughter and joy each kid had. One of the younger ones had fallen and scraped up his knee. Inuyasha tensed as he watched the little one cry, then only a few moments after the child's mother ran up to him and kissed it better. The tears slowly stopped and gave his mother a hug.

Inuyasha turned his head away, remembering all the times he cried as a little kid and remembering all the times that no one came to kiss away the pain. He jumped down and walked away towards the little stream that lay at the edge of the park. It was secluded and calm. Its gentle current carrying leaves and small twigs down stream. Inuyasha watched as thoughts and memories poured back in his head. He remembered being a little kid. He remembered seeing his mother's tears for the first time and he remembered how alone he felt when she died. He sat next to that stream for quite sometime before realizing how long he had been sitting there. _"Kagome should be out of school about now."_ He thought getting up and starting to walk back in the direction of Kagome's school.

"_Ugh. English class."_ Kagome rested her head down on her desk. _"When is this going to be over, Inuyasha is probally waiting for me."_ She shut her eyes and began to fall asleep and day dream about him.

They were in a field full of flowers and they were both lying on the ground. Her head was rested upon his shoulder and his strong arm was wrapped around her waist. They were gazing into the sky, when a voice popped into her head. _"Don't forget about Kikyo."_ The voice whispered. At that moment the sky turned blood red and Kagome looked over to see Inuyasha gone. When she went to look for him, she saw him with Kikyo once again. He was leaning over her body and holding her in his arms. As she watched the voice re-appeared. _"Inuyasha can never forget Kikyo, until she is dead."_ The pain from before came rushing back into her head.

Then school bell rang interrupting Kagome of her dream. Kagome sighed as she packed her things in her back pack. Only moments later, her friends Ayumi, Eri and Yuka walked up, along with Hojo.

"Hey guys!" Kagome said walking up to her friends. As they walked down the halls they had a casual conversation. Slowly the she forgot about the pain in her head and began talking how Kagome's 'illness' was. The moment they walked out of school Kagome noticed Inuyasha waiting for her.

"Got to go, talk to you later!" She yelled back running up to Inuyasha.

"Geez, Kagome sure is lucky." Eri sighed watching the couple walk away.

"Yeah she is. I wish I had a guy that would walk me home." Ayumi agreed.

"Who was that guy?" Hojo asked confused. All three girls turned their heads at Hojo.

"You don't know?" All three said simultaneously.

"Know what?" Hojo was very confused. He liked Kagome a lot and had made multiple attempts to ask her out but she always canceled at the last minute.

"That was Kagome's boyfriend." Yuka finally piped up.

"Kagome has a boy friend? Since when?" Hojo was kind of surprised.

"Where have you been Hojo, in dream land?" All three girls laughed.

"_No wonder she canceled."_ He thought as his face became depressed.

"Don't look so sad Hojo; we will all take you for some ice cream." They grabbed his arms and dragged him away to get ice cream.

Inuyasha and Kagome had been walking for about ten minutes now and neither of them said a word. They were waiting for a crossing signal to turn green when Inuyasha looked away from her and let out a sigh.

"Kagome, what is it like to have a family?" Inuyasha finally said after a long period of silence.

"Uh it's nice I guess. You get to live with the ones that love you and that you love. Why do you ask all the sudden?" She responded curiously. He paused for a moment while they walked carefully across the street. Each time he heard the sound of a car near by he would pull Kagome closer to him, as if to protect her.

"I never had a family." His bangs fell in front of his eyes as memories of the park early floated back in his head. Kagome couldn't help but feel sorry for him. She knew it was a painful subject for him and being in this era didn't help either.

"Yes you do." She said smiling. Inuyasha's eyes shot up and looked at her with shock and surprise. "You have me. I'm your family now." She placed her head against his shoulder.

"Kagome…" Inuyasha was breath taken by her words. He pulled her closer and leaned in for a kiss. Kagome pressed her lips up against his as time, once again, seemed like it stopped. Once they pulled away from each other they stood there looking deeply in each others eyes. _"I do have a family, Kagome is my family. I really don't deserve her." _He thought continuing on their walk.

A few minutes later Hojo walked out of the ice cream parlor, his vanilla cone dripping down the sides of his hands. As he starred into the melting dessert he could only see Kagome's face. Hojo was interrupted by her voice and looked around to see where she was.

"Inuyasha do you want to get something to eat?" She asked politely.

"That sounds great as long as you don't cook it." Inuyasha continued walking but Kagome stopped dead in her tracks.

"What did you say?" Her eyes showed anger, her body was tense and her knuckled were furiously clenched.

"I was only being honest." He tried to say in his defense.

"Inuyasha SIT!" She screamed as he went pounding into the concrete floor. The loud noise made Hojo turn around and see Inuyasha yelling at Kagome.

"Kagome I'm really getting tired of these sit commands of yours!" Inuyasha screamed.

"Well maybe if you were a little more sensitive and not a jerk all the time then I wouldn't have to say them!" she screamed back.

"Jerk? That's what I am? Fine if I'm such a jerk I won't bother saving you anymore, it's a waste of my time anyways!" Inuyasha's words went to far that time and really hurt Kagome's feelings. As he stood there proudly and triumphant, tears swelled in her eyes.

"If that is how you really feel then-" She was interrupted by Hojo yanking on her arm and pulling her behind him.

"Kagome how could you let this guy talk to you like that?" Hojo said while looking angry at Inuyasha. Noticing this guy had Kagome's arm in his hand and getting in their business really ticked him off.

"And just who in the hell are you?" Inuyasha roared at him.

"I am Hojo, and frankly I am appalled how you treat Kagome. Women should be loved and respected not treated like dirt. If Kagome was my girl friend then I would treat her they way she should be treated."

"I do lover her! And what the hell would you know about it? And besides she isn't your girlfriend!" Inuyasha grabbed Kagome's arm and pulled her back towards him.

"Yes but she could be!" Hojo yelled as he pulled Kagome back to him.

"But she's not!" Inuyasha said while pulling Kagome once again towards him. Before she knew it both guys were yanking on each of her arms.

"STOP!" she screamed making both of them let go of her. "You're both being jerks! What about my opinions geez!" She stomped off in the direction of her house, every now and then she would let out a angry sigh or a sound of frustration.

"Wait Kagome!" both guys said. They took one look at each other and glared. Inuyasha being as forceful as he is, demanded Hojo stay away from Kagome and knocked him upside the head. He then walked hastily after Kagome.

**Sorry this chapter was so long, I just didn't want to have to split it up. I know it is kind of boring but I promise the next Chapter will be better. Don't forget to review! **


	10. Moon Lily

"Hey wait up." Inuyasha said finally catching up to her.

"Why should I?" Kagome asked.

"Are you still angry with me?"

"Of course I'm angry! First you insult me then you pick a fight with one of my friends." Her voice became more irritated then before.

"Come on Kagome, I didn't mean what I said about your cooking. It's just that the food in your era is so spicy. And that guy had it coming to him. He was making it seem like I totally take a advantage of you." He tried to explain. After a few minutes of Kagome not responding he started to wonder if maybe Hojo was right. "Is that how you really feel? You don't have to stay with e if you don't want to." Inuyasha became very depressed and took a few steps behind Kagome.

"Inuyasha you know that I want to be with you and of course I don't feel that way. I just got a little frustrated that's all." She said trying to calm his worry. "Come on I will make you some ramen when we get home. " Kagome smiled and grabbed his hand to hurry him along.

"Inuyasha and Kagome have been gone along time." Sango said to Miroku.

"I think that it is good they spend a little time to themselves anyways." Miroku responded. "Speaking of time by themselves…" He reached down and rubbed Sango's butt resulting in a loud smack across his face.

"It was well worth the pain." He sighed rubbing his cheek.

"Serves you right, pervert." At that moment Shippo and Kirara came running up to them. "What is it Shippo?"

"That Inuyasha, he hogging Kagome, when is he going to bring her back?" He ran and jumped into Sango's lap. "I miss her." He said burring his little face in her stomach. Sango smiled while rubbing his back, trying to reassure him.

"They will be back soon Shippo, don't worry."

Long after they had finished their snack, Inuyasha and Kagome were upstairs. Kagome was sitting at her desk studying for a math test she had in the morning while Inuyasha was on her bed. He had his Tetsiaga in his hands and his back leaning upright on her wall. Inuyasha felt something odd in his Kimono and reached in to see what it was. He pulled out Shippo's handkerchief. _"Oops…" _

"Kagome?" He asked.

"Yes?" She asked back turning her computer chair around to face him.

"Here." He handed her the small white cloth. "Shippo made it for you, he made me promise to give it to you." She gently took it out of his hands and examined it.

"Did he really make this for me?" A large smile grew on her face as she rubbed the soft fabric upon her skin. "Wow this must have been hard to make, and look he even added detailed embroidery at the corners." Kagome continued to sit their looking at her present, then finally tucked it away in one of her pockets for safe keeping. She then turned around and continued her studies.

"Kagome, I will be back in a little while." Inuyasha said getting up to leave.

"Wait, where are you going?" she asked with curiosity.

"Don't worry I will come back soon." With that said, he left Kagome's house. He jumped back into the well and went back to the feudal era.

Once Inuyasha walked into the hut, Shippo immediately ran past him in search for Kagome.

"What's his problem?" Inuyasha asked his two friends.

"He misses Kagome. After all she is like a mother to him." Sango replied to the half demon.

"Sango is right, in Shippo's eyes, Kagome is his mother. I mean he did loose both his parents at such a young age, it is only natural he thinks of her that way." Miroku agreed. A few minutes after Shippo came back into the hut with his tail dropped sadly to the floor.

"She isn't here." He said depressed.

"Well I could have told you that stupid." Inuyasha said harshly.

"Well when is she coming back Inuyasha?" He demanded. "I really do miss her." Tears began to swell in his innocent eyes. Inuyasha's annoyance soon turned to pity.

"Don't worry Shippo she will be back tomorrow." Inuyasha said placing a hand on his shoulder. "And guess what? I gave her that cloth you made and she loved it. She wouldn't take her eyes off it for almost 15 minutes." Now that he knew Kagome was proud of him, the brightness in his face returned and the tears disappeared. "Which reminds me." Inuyasha began to walk out of the hut. "Me and Kagome will be back tomorrow afternoon." He shouted on his way out.

The sun was just now going down and Inuyasha was waiting by a river. "Almost time now." He waited there until dark. Once night fell and the moon shown upon the current of the river, the most beautiful flowers began to bloom. They were white like starlight, and their petals were fully outstretched. They were called moon lilies. Inuyasha searched for the perfect one to give to Kagome. Finally when he found it he gently plucked it out of the ground a loosely held it in his right hand. Only moments after Inuyasha ran back towards the well.

Once back at Kagome's shrine he jumped up to her roof and glided the glass window open. He looked down and saw Kagome passed out on her desk. In her hands clutched a text book and her head was resting upon the top of it. His chest slowly rose and fell in a rhythmic pattern. Inuyasha could only smile at her determination to study. He hadn't realized how long he had been in the feudal era. He placed the flower down on the window ceil, and picked up Kagome ever so gently, so not to wake her. He placed her in bed and pulled up the covers so she wasn't cold. He then pushed her hair out of her face and walked back to the flower.

The next morning Kagome woke up and noticed something lay on the pillow next to her. It was the moon lily and with it was a note from Inuyasha.

_You looked so serene there in your sleep that I couldn't bare to wake you. This flower is called the moon lily. My mother told me about it. The moon lily is supposed to only bloom on the night of a full moon when there is love in the air. The moon lily signifies kindness and trust. When I first saw you smile, this flower came into my head. It is exactly like you. Beautiful yet impressive, kind yet firm and of coarse loving. I want you to know that I love you and in a way this flower represents that. Remember that. _

_Always, Inuyasha_

Kagome jumped out of bed and ran as quick as her feet could take her down stairs. Once there she had asked her mother if she had seen him. When she told her no, she ran out side in search of him. She ran right past the sacred tree when a voice from behind called to her.

"Looking for someone?" Inuyasha said jumping down from one of the Sacred Tree's branches. Kagome turned around and ran to him. She hugged him so tightly that for a second he couldn't breathe. Once she loosened her grip and looked up into his eyes, he smiled. He placed his hand gently on her cheek and pulled her into a kiss. They both stood in front of this tree, their tree, and held their kiss passionately, never wanting to let go.


	11. Only You Inuyasha

It was the last class of the day and Kagome couldn't wait to get home and see Inuyasha. She once again started to day dream about him, while drawing little hearts on the corner of her paper. A smile came to her face as she thought of his protective arms around her, and his strong passionate lips pressed deeply against hers. Earlier that morning had been like a fairy tale. Inuyasha was her prince and she couldn't think of anything else but living happily ever after with him. She had completely forgotten about the day dream between Inuyasha and Kikyo that had come into her mind only a day ago. She could only think of how happy she was with him. Unfortunately she was interrupted from her thoughts by her teacher.

"Kagome, come to the board and answer the equation." Kagome snapped back into reality and realized she had no clue how to do the problem.

"Ummm...ok…" She got up and slowly went to board. She placed the chalk in her hand and began to write out the problem, when the bell rang. Kagome let out a long sigh. Thankfully she was saved from the humiliation. She quickly packed up her stuff and ran out of the room before her teacher could talk to her.

As she closed the door to her locker, she noticed Hojo glance at her sadly then continue to walk away. "Wait up Hojo." She yelled trying to catch up with him. She placed a hand on his shoulder and asked what was wrong.

"Hey Hojo, what's up you look so sad?"

"It's nothing." Hojo couldn't even look at her. He was devastated. Kagome was the love of his life but she didn't have those types of feelings back towards him. In his eyes he saw Inuyasha as half the man he was, and continually wondered why Kagome had chosen him.

"You're upset about Inuyasha right?" She stopped him from walking so that she could talk to him, "Just what are upset about anyway?" Hojo's fists tightened as she asked him what was bothering him.

"He's a jerk Kagome! He has no respect for you and, and I don't even know why you like him!" Kagome had never seen Hojo like this, he was always so kind and good hearted. She knew how he felt though. It was the same thing she felt when Inuyasha went running back to Kikyo.

"Hojo listen, Inuyasha and I do have our fights but who doesn't? I mean he can be a jerk and he can be insensitive sometimes, but if he wasn't then he wouldn't be the Inuyasha I know. His flaws _and_ his perfections make him who he is. I love him for that. I know this must be hard but I can't help how I feel. I really wish that this didn't hurt you as it does." She tried to be as sincere and as nice as she could be.

"Kagome, can I ask you one question?" Hojo asked politely. "Are you happy?" Kagome took a moment and looked out the school window. She noticed Inuyasha waiting there for her. She smiled and turned back to Hojo.

"Of course I'm happy."

"Ok, I guess if you're happy then I'm happy too." He slightly chuckled and his eyes filled with joy like they were only days before.

"Good. Then were friends?" Kagome asked giving him a smile.

"Yeah were friends." He said giving her a hug." Just one more thing, I have wanted to do this for a long time." He leaned down close to her face and gave her a peck on the lips. Kagome's cheeks turned bright pink as he pulled away from her. Her eyes were filled with shock. She never expected him to do that. "Sorry I just had to get that out of my system."

Kagome stood there for a couple more minutes, completely shocked. "See ya around Kagome!" He yelled waving as he walked away. She soon realized that Inuyasha was waiting for her and picked up her back pack that lay on the floor. She swung her bag on her shoulder and walked down the stairs and out the school door.

"What took you so long?" Inuyasha asked impatiently. Kagome didn't even reply she just continued to walk. She was really, really surprised Hojo did that. It totally caught her off guard. Then a thought came to mind. How was she going to tell Inuyasha? She knew she couldn't keep it a secret.

"Hello? Kagome?" Inuyasha said as he waved a hand in front of her head. She blinked and stopped walking.

"Oh, umm what is it?" She asked completely dumb founded.

"What is up with you? You have been totally out of it since school got out. Did something happen?" The moment replayed in her head. She felt bad. Hojo loved her but she didn't love him back. She loved Inuyasha and she knew it would pain him to find out another guy kissed her.

"Inuyasha…I…" She didn't know how to tell him. She didn't want him to be upset with her or him to feel bad. But she knew she couldn't lie to him that would be even worse. "Listen today after school…the reason I took so long…" She took a pause and gazed into his amber eyes, she could see the slight worry and confusion. She grabbed onto him and pulled him close to her and gave him a kiss. "I love you, and only you. I want you to know that." Inuyasha was slightly confused as he held Kagome close to him. She paused for a moment.

"Today Hojo kissed me." She pulled away from Inuyasha and looked toward the ground, she didn't want to the sadness in his eyes.

"He did what?" Inuyasha eyes widened at her comment.

"He kissed me." Inuyasha blinked for a moment before rage and sadness came over him.

"Where, when? WHY!?" Inuyasha's voice became angrier and angrier as he thought of Kagome kissing another guy.

"Today after school, that's why it took me so long. He only gave me a peck on the lips; it was sort of a goodbye kiss I guess." Kagome saw it in Inuyasha's face that he was upset.

"So while I was waiting here, you were making out with some other guy?"

"No, no it wasn't like that, I was-" Inuyasha interrupted her before she could finish.

"Save it! You get all upset when I go running back to Kikyo, and look here you are doing the exact same thing!" Inuyasha's words really, really hurt. It wasn't the same thing. If only Inuyasha would let her explain. Tears began to fill her eyes as she tried to speak again.

"It's not the same. Don't you understand? _He _kissed me. I didn't even know he was going to do that." She tried to place a hand on his shoulder, but he pulled away. Hurt, she paused as more tears filled her eyes. "I don't love him, I love you!" She wrapped her arms around the back of him and held him as her tears dripped down her face. "I love _you_, Inuyasha."

He felt her warm arms wrap around his stomach and smelled the salty tears that came from her eyes. Inuyasha couldn't be mad at her, not when she was crying.

"I was only trying to make him see what a great person you were." More tears came down her face as she tried to explain. "I'm sorry, I would never-"

"Just stop." He turned to her and looked into her watery eyes. "You shouldn't have to explain, I should know you would never do that to me." He pulled her closer and kissed the top of her fore head as she cried a little more. They walked back to Kagome's house with Inuyasha's arm around her shoulders and Kagome leaning softly against him.

Once back, Kagome ran up stairs and quickly packed her things for the feudal era. She placed the cloth Shippo had made her in her pocket and closed her yellow bag. She then walked over to her desk and gently folded the note Inuyasha had written her and placed it in the bottle she used for the sacred jewel shards. Kagome walked down stairs and said goodbye to her family before meeting up with Inuyasha at the well house. He quickly noticed the little note folded in the bottle.

"Why did you decide to put it there?" He asked while looking at it hang around her neck.

"So that it will always be close to my heart."


	12. Back to the Fuedal Era

"Kagome!!" Shippo yelled, as she lifted herself out of the well. She had only one leg over the edge when Shippo leaped into her arms. The small force from the little kitsune was just enough to sending her falling back but before she hit the ground there was Inuyasha, right behind her. He had his hands on her shoulders to keep her from falling. Inuyasha wrapped an arm around Kagome's waist and jumped out of the well, landing on the soft grass.

"Thanks Inu-" She was interrupted by Shippo burring himself in her arms.

"I missed you a lot Kagome." Tears threatened to leak out of his eyes, but he was immediately comforted by Kagome.

"Shippo its ok, I'm here now." She said while putting him and down and crouching down beside him. "Oh, I almost forgot." She pulled out the hanky he had made her. "Thank you Shippo, I can tell you worked really hard on this and I'm proud of you." The fox demon starred into Kagome's eyes and began to cry. She grabbed hold of him and held him close to her chest.

"Kagome? Is it ok if I think you of you as my mother?" Shippo never loosened his hold on her, only held on tighter.

"I wouldn't have it any other way." She finished giving him the hug and pulled out a lollipop from her pocket. She gave it to him then gently rustled the hair on his head. Inuyasha watched as Kagome comforted Shippo. She was so kind and loving. _"She would make a great mother."_ He thought smiling at her.

"And just what are you so happy about?" She asked while walking up to him.

"It's nothing." Inuyasha responded brushing the thoughts out of his head. Kagome giggled at his reaction. But her happy laugh soon turned into a gasp of pain.

"Kagome! Are you alright?" Inuyasha said while holding his hands on her arms for support. She held a hand to her face, just above her nose. There was a little gap that made enough space for her too see through her eye. The pain just wasn't going away. Usually when she got these they would be over in a few seconds, but not this one. It was just like the one she had at the river. The pain seemed like it lasted forever and her body trembled as it increased.

"Inuyasha!" She screamed as a huge shot of pain ran through every inch of her body. Her hands tightened around his and then loosened. Kagome's eyes wearily shut and then she collapsed, unconscious.

"Miroku! Sango! You guys help me!" Inuyasha was in a panic. She was fine just a few minutes ago and then out of know where she collapsed. He didn't know what to do. He only knew that she was in trouble and he had to help her some how. Inuyasha scoped her up in his arms and ran as fast as he could to Kaede's hut.

It was the middle of the night, probably about one o'clock, when Kagome began to stir in her sleep. There was sweat forming at the top her forehead and every now and then Sango or Kaede would wipe it away with a wet wash cloth.

_You know he will run back to her. He always does Kagome. Don't you understand that they were meant to be together?_ Naraku's voice filled her thoughts as she lay on the mat unconscious. Trying to ignore his words, Kagome felt the cool wetness upon her head.

Finally her eyes opened. Relief swept over Inuyasha as he saw chocolate brown her eyes look up at him.

"What happened, the last thing I remember is a sharp pain in my head." She said confused about the whole situation.

"You winced in pain then passed out in Inuyasha's arms." Miroku replied. The friends began talking as Kagome ate some stew that roasted on top of the fire. Everything seemed normal but Inuyasha wouldn't look at her.

"Kagome this has happened before hasn't it?" He finally spoke up.

"Yeah it has." She set down her bowl and looked back up at him. Kaede stopped and looked at Kagome.

"Have you had a lot of these lately child?" The old women asked.

"Yeah I guess but it's probably nothing." Kagome didn't want her friends to worry about her. Deep down she was a little concerned herself, especially after that one down by the river. After a long pause Inuyasha finally said something.

"Its not nothing!" He screamed slamming a fist in the ground. The sudden action made Kagome jump a little in fear. She wasn't expecting him to be so upset. "You keep passing it off as nothing when you could be seriously hurt!" Inuyasha still wouldn't look at her; he just kept his eyes fixed on the ground.

"I…I…just didn't want you to worry…I thought that-" Kagome started to say, trying to calm him.

"You thought what? That I wouldn't care? That I wouldn't want to know if you were in danger and wouldn't try to help? Please Kagome enlighten me cause I really don't know what is going on in your head." Kagome eyes filled with tears and her fist tightened.

"I thought you wanted me to be strong! Strong like KIKYO!" Kagome screamed back at him. Her last statement shocked the half demon. An awkward silence filled the room, only the small sounds of Kagome's muffled cries and the long glances between Miroku and Sango were left.

"Kagome how could you think something so incredibly stupid!? I told you I loved you not her, don't you believe me!?" Inuyasha was still screaming which made Kagome even more upset.

"I don't know what to think. I want to believe you its just, just…"

"Just what!?" Inuyasha screamed back once again, this time looking straight at her.

"I was afraid ok!" Kagome yelled lifting herself up and looking at him. "I was afraid that if I wasn't strong enough that you would back with her, I wasn't going to be good enough to be with you…that, that…" Kagome broke down in tears. Her breathing became heavy and her words became so muffled that you could no longer understand what she was saying. Inuyasha had no idea she felt that way. He couldn't help but feel guilty.

"Kagome," He said walking up to her and pulling her in his arms. "You are the strongest person I know. I can't imagine what you had to deal with every time I got hurt or went running back to her. You are the only one for me and I would never go back with Kikyo I promise." Kagome sat there for a few more minutes trying to stop crying.

"You promise?" she asked him between sobs.

"Yeah I promise."

An evil laugh came out of the darkness as he watched Inuyasha hold Kagome close to him.

"Kanna, I want you to summon Marou for me." Naraku spoke. The young girl simply nodded and walked of into the darkness. Naraku sat there watching Kagome through the mirror. The miasma circled around her zoomed in face as Naraku smiled. "Yes, you will do quite nicely."


	13. Fear Demon

"Sango would you like to go on a walk with me?" Kagome asked. Sango nodded and got up to leave with Kagome. They walked a ways until they knew they were out of Inuyasha's earshot.

"I'm sorry I know we haven't talked on awhile." Kagome apologized.

"Its ok I know everything has been kind of hectic lately." Sango said while smiling to her friend. They both found a small stream and sat down.

It had been about two hours before realizing that the guys were probably getting worried. They talked about everything. Inuyasha and Kagome's relationship, Miroku and Sango's relationship and even about Kohaku. Talking about her younger brother made Sango cry a little but as always Kagome was there for her to lean on. They were like sisters, always telling each other there secrets and spending countless hours talking. They couldn't be better friends.

Once they arrived back to camp they knew that Inuyasha and Miroku would be a little annoyed and want to leave right away. So that's what they did. They packed up there stuff and began to continue the journey in search for Naraku.

They had been walking for awhile when they walked of the dirt road and into a forest. They had been in many forests before but none like this. It was dark and gloomy and Kagome could had a bad feeling forming in the pit of her stomach. Unfortunately there was no way to go around it for the presence of a sacred jewel shard was coming from some where in this forest. It was now night and you could no longer see the sun from the tree tops, fading below the horizon. The group decided to stop and set up camp for the night. Sango, Shippo, and Kirara went to find some water for Kagome to cook the ramen with, leaving Inuyasha, Miroku and Kagome back at camp.

"Ok so who wants to get the fire wood?" Kagome asked clasping her hands together cheerfully. Inuyasha was lying on his side next to the tree while Miroku was leaned up against its trunk. Miroku shut his eyes signaling that he wasn't going to get up a look for wood so Kagome turned to Inuyasha.

"You guys get it; I don't need a stupid fire to keep warm." Inuyasha said while her turned and rolled to his other side.

"Yeah but I do!" She screamed frustrated. She sighed heavily and rolled her eyes, knowing that there was no way they she was going to get them up. "Fine I will get it." She took one last eye squinting glare before walking off into the dark forest. It had been about twenty minutes and Kagome finally had enough fire wood to last them for the night. It was stacked high in her arms and Kagome could hardly see above it. As she walked back to camp she felt an ammonias aura around. She tried to ignore it but as she felt it slowly come closer she quickened her pace. The presence was coming even closer and faster. Kagome was getting really, really scared. She began to fastly jog letting only a few pieces of wood fall from her arms.

"Why are you running, are you afraid of me?" An eerie voice said out of the shadows. Kagome's eyes widened and her heart began to race even faster. She dropped all of the wood and went out in a full sprint back towards camp. But the demon would not let her go so easily.

"Stop running or you won't have to energy to fight me." He said, once again in his vile, scratchy voice. He sounded like he was right on her heels and Kagome looked back to see if he was following her. When she turned around he was right in front of her. She did a dead stop which made her fall on the ground, twisting her ankle. She used her arms and her one good leg to try and scoot herself away from his frightening figure. She has never seen a demon like this before. He was almost like a shadow. His body was dark, but slightly transparent. He floated about of an inch instead of standing. The thing that was visible was his face, or more his eyes. They were bright yellow with large black pupils. Kagome had never seen eyes like this and when ever she stared at them chills went up her spine. There was something about them that Kagome just couldn't figure out. She kept staring at his cat like eyes and she felt like she was loosing her self or something. She quickly turned away as another jolt of fear ran through back.

The demon stood a few feet away from her. Standing triumphantly with arms crossed laughing down at the terrified women on the ground. "Ha, ha this is rich." He laughed. "I am Marou, the fear demon."

"What do you want from me?" Kagome finally spoke.

"It's not really what _I_ want." The demon replied. He smirked at the young girls confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"I was sent here by a man wearing a white baboon suit." He paused. Kagome's knew who he was talking about. _"It has to be Naraku"_ she thought as she watched the demon. Marou shut his eyes. He looked like he was meditating or something. In sudden instant, Naraku was standing in front of her where Marou was just a second ago.

The demon laughed at Kagome's shocked eyes. "What do you know this strange demon?" he asked. Kagome was completely confused_. "What happened to Marou?"_ She thought. The demon kept laughing this time throwing his head back.

"This really never does get old." He chuckled. "Don't you get it girl? I can turn into anyone I want. I'm a shape shifter you fool." Kagome was completely dumb founded. He looked _exactly_ like Naraku but it was Marou?

"Why, why did Naraku send a shape shifter after me?" Kagome was confused and she wanted answers.

"That I do not know but," he paused again. He then turned into Sango. "I do know he feels threatened of you Kagome." It was no longer Marou's voice, but her best friend Sango's. If the two had been standing next to each other, Kagome honestly wouldn't be able to tell them apart. She understood now. Naraku was planning on use her friendship with her friends against her.

The demon then turned back into his original, shadowy form. He blinked his eyes for a moment; let them revert back to his yellow cat eyes.

"Now live in fear girl!" he screamed flying right toward her. Kagome put her arms in front of her, to shield herself. The next thing she knew was Marou was on top of her, laughing. He had her body pinned down against the ground and her arms and legs were bound against her sides. He lowered his head toward her face and breathed heavily. Out some where in the distance, Kagome heard the faint sound of Inuyasha's voice screaming out her name.

She wanted to scream back to him, to tell him where she was, but she was so afraid that she couldn't even talk. The demon too, heard the sound of the calls. "Unfortunately we have to cut this short me dear." He starred into her chocolate brown eyes, which made Kagome turn her head away from him. He then looked at her long, luscious neck and smirked at her before licking it with his tongue. _"What the hell is he going to do with me?"_ Kagome thought closing her eyes, and flinching at the feeling of his wet tongue on the nape of her neck. The demon took one last long pause before biting his fangs into her neck. Kagome's eyes immediately opened and the pain made her cringe. Tears began to swell into her eyes as she saw the faint red of Inuyasha's kimono through the transparent body of the demon. Inuyasha's screams were a lot closer now and Kagome that she was almost safe.

"We will meet again." Whispered Marou, leaping off Kagome and running into the shadows of the forest. Kagome took a moment to realize what happened before she sat up from the ground. She placed a hand to her neck trying to stop it from bleeding. Kagome raised her head to see Inuyasha only a distance away, running toward her. She stood up, tears in her eyes and started running to him. She kept her right hand on the right side of neck, where the bite was, and limped on her hurt ankle. She ran as fast as she could to him. She was only a few feet away when Inuyasha noticed the tears of pain in her eyes.

"Inuyasha!" She screamed trying to make herself go faster. Once she was close enough she threw herself in his arms. He held her as a wave of relief swept over him. Kagome cried even harder, knowing that he was finally there with her. "Inuyasha!" She cried, her sobs becoming more intense. Inuyasha padded her back, trying to comfort her.

"It's ok Kagome; you don't have to be afraid any longer." Inuyasha's words were comforting but in her mind she could only see the fear demon's smirk and the yellow, evil glow in his eyes. Inuyasha felt a warm wet liquid on his chest, through his kimono. He looked down and saw blood. He pushed Kagome a few inches away from him to see where it was coming from. He quickly noticed Kagome's hand upon her neck. He saw blood streaming down the side of her hand, through her fingers. Inuyasha gently grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand away so that he could see.

"Kagome you're bleeding!" he shouted noticing the blood on her neck. Inuyasha took the sleeve of his shirt to wipe it away, revealing the two, vampire like puncture wounds. He took his index finger and gently rubbed over them, making Kagome flinch at the sensitivity if her wound.

"Sorry." He said pulling his hand away from her neck to look back into her brown eyes. They were glazed over with tears and were swollen and puffy. "Come on I will help back to camp." Kagome nodded and wrapped her arm around his to lean on him, relieving some of the pressure off her foot. "You know I can kill you right now if I want." Inuyasha said. Kagome blinked. Did she hear him correctly?

"Wait what did you say?" She said pulling her arm away from him. Inuyasha stared at her confused.

"I can carry you if you want." He said raising an eye brow at her.

"Are you sure that's what you said, cause I thought...never mind." Kagome accepted his offer and climbed on his back. Soon they were off, leaping in between the trees. _"I could have sworn Inuyasha said he could have killed me."_ Kagome thought confused. _"What ever, I just must have heard him wrong."_ She thought passing it off.


	14. Hurtful Words

Kagome sat by the fire, holding pressure on her neck to stop the bleeding. Sango and Shippo still hadn't gotten back from getting water and Miroku was gathering whatever twigs he could find around camp. She didn't talk to anyone just sat and starred at the coals of the fire. A few moments later Inuyasha walked up.

"Kagome?" He asked as he watched her gaze in the fire. "Let me see that bite." He sat down next to her and placed her first aid kit next to him. Inuyasha pulled out a piece of cloth and a water bottle. He uncapped the bottle and poured some on the cloth.

"You don't have to that you know." Kagome said turning her head toward him.

"Yes I do." He pulled her hand away from her neck and dabbed it with the wet cloth. After all the dry blood was wiped off, Inuyasha could see the bite clearly. There were two small, vampire-like puncture wounds. Around them there was purple and red bruising from the force of the bite. Inuyasha could tell that it was painful. He pulled out some gauze and medical tape to cover it help and help it heal. While bandaging up her wound Inuyasha couldn't help but wonder what happened. Kagome didn't tell him anything yet and she had hardly spoken since they got back.

"There all done. I think I did this right…I'm sorry if I messed up." Inuyasha said closing the lid to the fist aid kit. Kagome used her hand to feel the bandage.

"No you did this right. Thank you Inuyasha." She didn't even look at him. Was she really that scared?

"Come on Kagome; let's sit over here with Miroku." He grabbed her hand and they both walked over to the large tree Miroku was sitting under. There was a few moments when they didn't say anything to each other until Miroku spoke up.

"Kagome if you don't mind, would you please tell us what happened to you in the forest." Miroku said looking at her. Kagome nodded and began to tell her story.

"And then he was right in front of me. I tried to turn back around and that's when I fell, hurting my ankle." She tried to explain then continued on. "He called himself Marou, the fear demon. His body was like a shadow and his eyes were yellow with black slits, almost like cat eyes." She continued on describing the demon when Myouga showed up. He was sitting on Inuyasha's knee, listening to Kagome talk about the demon. "Myouga when did you show up?" she asked.

"Oh he showed up a little while after you left." Miroku answered.

"Never mind that, you said his name was Marou, he was a shape shifter I'm guessing." The flea stated crossing his arms.

"Yeah, he said he could transform into anyone he wanted." Kagome said while remembering how he transformed into Naraku and Sango. Kagome kept picturing him, standing in front of her, remembering his eyes looking right into her soul. It scared her; there was just something that wasn't right about him. Those eyes, even now, would send chills up her back.

"Kagome what else happened?" Inuyasha asked, snapping her from her thoughts.

"Marou leaped on top of me and when he heard your voice he whispered into my ear: 'unfortunately we have to cut this short' then he licked my neck with his tongue." Kagome was becoming even more afraid as she retold her experience. Inuyasha tightened his fist as her heard that the filthy demon's tongue was all over Kagome's beautiful neck. Then a thought came to him, what if he didn't come in time? What other horrible things would he have done to her?

"He looked back at me then bit my neck with his fangs. The last I saw was him zooming off into the forest….Then you came Inuyasha." Kagome looked up at him, her smile showing her gratefulness.

"This fear demon is ferocious and plays mind tricks on you Kagome, I warn you to not trust your mind until we can find a cure for that bite he gave you." Myouga warned.

"Wait what do you mean Myouga? Is there something wrong with her?" Inuyasha said with worry.

"Yes master, I am not 100 sure about this, but I have heard of this demon before. Once he bites you, the victim will start hearing things or even sometimes see things. He uses there confusion against them until you go mad, die or when he releases you from the grasp." He hopped onto Kagome shoulder and examined her tender wound.

"For Kagome however, I don't think that the bite is deep enough and if it is then I don't know how it will affect her because of her miko powers." Myouga finished, jumping back to Miroku. They all sat for a few moments watching as Kagome realized what kind of danger she could really be in. Finally after a long while of silence Myouga got up and said his goodbyes. He told them he had "business" to take care of which really meant he was running away. They didn't really care because they were used to it my now. Inuyasha could only keep thinking about what that demon did to Kagome. He scooted towards Miroku to talk to him. Kagome was off in her own little world thinking about the events that had been happening the past couple days. She wished she could go back to that time only a few days ago when Inuyasha and she were free to love each other.

She got up and walked toward her back pack and began to set up her sleeping bag for the night. _"Geez Sango and Shippo have sure been talking their sweet time."_ She thought as she straightened her sleeping bag on the ground. She then glanced at Miroku and Inuyasha and noticed that they were whispering about something.

"So Inuyasha what do you think about this so called fear demon?" Miroku asked.

"I'll I know is that if Kagome was Kikyo then she never would have gotten bitten in the first place." Miroku nodded his head in agreement. Kagome was now listening very intently and couldn't believe what they were saying.

"Kikyo is a lot stronger then Kagome and I'm only keeping her around as my shard detector. Its kind of funny actually, Kagome actually believes I'm in love with her." Inuyasha finished. Kagome was in shock. How could Inuyasha say all those hurtful things about her? Tears filled her eyes but she wouldn't let them fall, instead she walked up to him. Inuyasha quickly picked up the scent and stood up to see what was wrong.

"Kagome are you ok, why are you crying?" He asked concerned. Her bangs were in front of her eyes so you could not see them. She lifted her head to reveal the tears. In one swift moment she slapped him across the face, the force making his head turn to the side. Inuyasha stood there for a few seconds, his eyes wide and his cheek red.

"How dare you say that about me? And I can't believe you tricked me into loving you. Sometimes I wonder if you are more evil then Naraku." She stood her ground, starring straight at him. Inuyasha honestly had no idea what she was talking about. What did he say to make her so hurt?

"Kagome what the hell are you talking about?"

"Don't stand here in front of me and lie to my face, I heard every word you and Miroku said about me and Kikyo! You said that I was just your shard detector and that I wasn't as strong as Kikyo and that if I was then this would have never happened." She screamed pointing at her sore neck. "Then you said something that completely shocked me. You said that you didn't actually love me and that I was a fool for believing so. I guess you were right, I am a fool!" That was the it, Kagome couldn't hold them in any longer. She let her tears finally fall as she starred at the half demon, with hurt in her eyes.

"Kagome I never said that. I would never say something like hurtful to you." Inuyasha tried to reason.

"Yes lady Kagome, Inuyasha never did speak those words. What he said was that you were trying to be happy and put a strong face on for the rest of us, even though you are in pain. He said that Kikyo could never be that strong and that's why he loves you." Miroku told her. Miroku was actually surprised Inuyasha told him that because he usually never told anyone about his feelings.

"But…but I heard you. I was sitting right over there and I heard you guys talking about me. I could have sworn-" Kagome was really confused, she didn't know what was true and what wasn't.

"Kagome you have to believe me when I tell you that I would never say anything like that." Inuyasha said placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. Kagome put her hand to her head, trying to figure out what was going on. The moment she touched her fore head, she felt how hot it was. It was like she was on fire or something. Inuyasha sensed her sudden distress and placed his hand on her fore head.

"Kagome your head, it's burning up!" He yelled, feeling how hot her fever was. At that moment Sango, Shippo and Kirara came back. Inuyasha made sure that Kagome sat down and put a wet wash cloth to her head to cool down the fever, while Miroku explained what has been happening around here, to Sango and Shippo. After Miroku was done with the story Shippo went and sat with Kagome. She slipped her self in her bag and with Shippo beside her; she soon fell into a long needed sleep.

Inuyasha sat high in a tree branch watching over his friends, as he usually did at night. Something about the way Kagome was acting made him think. He hated seeing her like this. He still couldn't understand why Kagome thought he and Miroku were saying all those hurtful things. As he thought about it more he glanced up at the moon. It was so big and beautiful, even he was amazed by it.

**Author's Note: I don't know if this chapter was confusing so im going to try to enlighten you a little bit. Sometimes when Inuyasha speaks, kagome hears the exact opposite of them, EX: if he says "I love you" kagome hears "I hate you." That Is kind of the conflict that is going on right now. PS don't worry all of this will be resolved in a few of the up coming chapters. **


	15. The Fog

Kagome woke up a little before dawn. As she lifted herself up of the ground, the wet wash cloth slide off her face and fell gently on the floor. She rubbed the side of her temples as she felt a headache coming on. "This is so not what I need right now." She said, glancing around the campsite to see her sleeping friends. She looked up high in the tree and saw Inuyasha, leaned up against it, eyes shut and Tetsiaga firmly grasped in his hand. He looked so handsome sleeping up there with the grey sky in behind him. Trying her best to be quiet, she walked to the river. Once there the sun had finally come up, shining beautiful rays of light into the river. She knelt on the bank, beside the flowing water and looked at her reflection.

Gently, she removed the bandage to see her wound. It was much more swollen and you could she the slight bit of puss around the edges. Sighing heavily, she re-tapped it and looked at her reflection once more. Kagome starred deeply into it and the water rippled, revealing Kikyo's reflection in place of hers. "You will never be as good as her." A voice said to her in the back of her mind. Kagome tensed and splashed it, making it fade as she walked away, remembering what happened last night. "I'm just her reincarnation, a copy." She sighed and walked back to her friends.

Once back at camp everyone nearly freaked out at the sight of her. She got a lot of: "We were so worried." "Where did you go?" and "You shouldn't be walking alone like that." Kagome said she was sorry and began to help her friends clean up camp. Before they left they all had some grilled fish that Kagome and Shippo made over the fire. It took awhile so they didn't end up leaving till about noon or so.

"Ok all set." Kagome said, swinging her back pack over her shoulder. The sun was directly in the middle of the sky and the heat was beating right down on them. At least they had the slight cover of the forest trees to give them some shade.

"Inuyasha is it me or are you getting a creepy feeling from this forest?" Shippo asked curiously while sitting upon Inuyasha's shoulder. Inuyasha sniffed the air and in truth, he did feel a slight demonic aura.

"It's probably a bear demon or something like that, nothing to stop and waste our time for." Inuyasha replied. Shippo simply nodded and tried to set his mind to something else.

It had been a few ours now and the sun was now beginning to set. Finally they could see the exit to the forest off in the distance. As they closed upon it, Kagome stopped in her tracks.

"Inuyasha, I sense a sacred jewel shard." In a matter of seconds the group was headed off in the opposite direction of the exit.

"Were getting closer and the jewel's aura is getting a lot stronger." Kagome said from Inuyasha's back. Then Kagome's grip on his shoulders tightened. She sensed it. The same demonic aura from last night. He was close by.

"Inuyasha look at that!" Miroku yelled while riding on Kirara's back.

"What is it?" Inuyasha asked while running faster towards it. In front of them only a small distance away, a ire fog lay ahead. The group slowed they pass before finally coming to a stop when the fog became so thick that they couldn't see a foot in front of them.

"Stay together everyone." Sango said while tying on her gas mask. Kagome got off Inuyasha's back and took a few steps forward.

"Inuyasha! I feel the sacred jewel. It's Naraku!" Kagome yelled. Inuyasha immediately became tense. A loud chuckle could be heard around them.

"Inuyasha I see you have finally come. And look, you brought Kagome along with you, how very convenient." Naraku laughed as he looked through the fog. Inuyasha pondered about Naraku's last statement. _"What the hell does he want with Kagome?" _ Inuyasha could see the slight shadowy figure of Kagome through the fog and ran to her, quickly grasping her hand, so that not to get separated from her.

"Whatever you want with Kagome, its not gonna happen, your not going to touch her!" He yelled ripping out Tetsiaga.

"Foolish half-demon, your tries are futile, I will have Kagome no matter what you do." He said as his voice was becoming more evil. Then all the sudden there was a flash of white, throwing all of them to ground. Kagome landed on top of Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha? I'm sorry, are you ok?" Kagome asked lifting herself off him. Hearing her soft words, Inuyasha was relieved she wasn't hurt.

"I'm fine Kagome, I'm just happy your ok." He said getting off the ground and re-grabbing Kagome's hand. "Sango, Miroku, you guys ok?" He yelled into the misty fog, trying to find where they were.

"Yea were fine. Shippo hit his head and is unconscious though." Miroku said, brushing the dirt off him.

"Was that not enough Inuyasha?" Naraku asked. "Fine, I'll see to it that it is!" with that another beam of white light was shot at Miroku and Sango, making them fly into the trees.

"Sango, Miroku!" Kagome screamed. She tried to pull away from Inuyasha and run toward them but Inuyasha only held her hand tighter.

"Kagome don't, it's a trap." He said trying to stop her.

"But they could be hurt, they need us." She pleaded.

"Were no use to them dead. Besides, Miroku and Sango are strong, they will be fine." Kagome didn't say anything only stepped closer to him, resting a comforting hand on Inuyasha's shoulder.

"Well isn't this cute, a Half-Demon and a human together." A new unfamiliar voice laughed. Kagome took a moment before realizing whose voice it was.

"Inuyasha…" Inuyasha looked at her and immediately felt how tense she had suddenly become. "It's him, the only who bit me." Inuyasha became even angrier then he had already. He was in the same spot with the two people he wanted to kill, Naraku and that pitiful fear demon, Mauro, who attacked Kagome.

"Don't worry Kagome, neither of them will touch you." Inuyasha said while gripping his Tetsiaga even harder, ready for battle. Naraku just laughed once more at the two figures in front of him. Kagome grasped Inuyasha's hand tighter trying to give him comfort.

"Let's just see how strong the two of you really are!" Naraku yelled, signaling Mauro to shoot the light at them. It hit them direct on and began to send them flying opposite directions. Only their hands held them together, but the energy from the light was pulling them apart. The grip on each other was slowly coming loose and they latched onto their hands with all their strength.

"Don't let go!" Inuyasha screamed trying to hold Kagome's hand. Soon only their fingers held them together, but quickly became unattached and sent them both flying.

"Inuyasha!" she yelled, feeling his hand release from hers.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha screamed flying back into the darkening fog. Inuyasha was thrown to the ground, hitting his head, knocking him out for a few moments. Kagome on the other hand landed in some bushes, only getting a few small cuts from the thorns. She leaped up as soon as she could in search for Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha, where are you!" she yelled frantically. When she didn't hear him respond she almost had a panic attack. Then she heard the bushes, a few feet away from her, rustle. "Inuyasha is that you?" she asked unknowingly. Once the shadowy figure immerged she saw the small triangular ears on top of its head. _"That must be him."_ She thought running up to it. But the moment she got close enough, the figure started to run in away from her. "He must want me to follow." And so that's what she did, she followed him into a small clearing where the fog wasn't so heavy and you could see everything but the ground ahead of you.

Finally the figure stopped. When she got close enough she saw yet another figure, then another. There were three of them. Kagome almost went into immediate shock. Standing in front of her was Naraku, Inuyasha and Kikyo. They stood there, smirking down upon her.

"What's…what's going on?" She asked confused.

"Maybe I should start." Inuyasha said. But it really wasn't Inuyasha at all. It was Mauro in disguise. He then revealed himself to Kagome. "Surprised to see me again." He asked sarcastically.


	16. Cant be Together

"Surprised to see me again?" he asked sarcastically. She didn't reply to him, she only stayed quiet and looked solemnly to the ground. _"How was I tricked so easily? I mean after all it was hard to see but I should have tried to differ between the two before gallivanting off after him." _ Kagome thought to herself trying to ignore the people talking to her.

"Wench I said listen to me!" Mauro screamed slapping her across the face. Kagome felt the sting from the slap and held a hand to her red swollen cheek, but she still would not answer nor look at them. "I said listen!" he screamed again, smacking the other side of her face, but not as nearly as hard as the first one. Tears built up in her eyes as she continued looking at the ground. "You were right, she is stubborn." Mauro laughed to Naraku. Then Kagome sensed the jewel.

"_It's pure, but how could that be? All Naraku's shards were tainted will evil, no one but me and-"_ Kagome's eyes went wide as realized who the person was.

"Kikyo..." She managed to whisper out.

"Ah I see you have finally made the connection between Kikyo and the jewel." Naraku glanced behind him, and out of the darkness came Kikyo with Kanna close behind her. In her hand she held the fragment of the sacred jewel. Kagome was incomplete shock. Why was she working with Naraku, the one person she truly hated?

"Why Kikyo?" Kagome asked to the dead priestess. Kikyo only laughed at her question and tucked the shard back into her kimono.

"Why? You ask why?" She took a pause. "Because of you!" she screamed, while her voice became more filled with hate. "You took Inuyasha away from me!" She took another moment to collect herself before continuing. "You did this," She pointed to Kanna's mirror, which revealed all of her friends, one by one hurt and in pain some where deep within the fog. The last image was of Inuyasha, knocked unconscious, leaning up against a tree with his bangs in front of his eyes. "You are the one who caused them this pain. If you would only keep your nose out of me and Inuyasha's business then your friends wouldn't be in trouble."

A tear ran down Kagome's cheek, while watching all her friends in pain from the mirror. _"She's right; this is all my fault. How could I let this happen? It's because I love Inuyasha that it's hurting him."_ Kagome broke down in tears, holding both hands to her face as she cried. Kikyo starred down on her reincarnation, a feeling of joy came to her as she watched the girl suffer from her words. Knowing that her work was done, Kikyo turned and walked back into the shadows of the forest.

Naraku simply nodded to Mauro and they both walked back behind Kikyo, disappearing into the darkness.

Mean while with Inuyasha. He finally awoke from his unconsciousness and lifted up a hand to his head to rub the swelling bump.

"Ouch that hurt." Soon after feeling the pain, he realized Kagome wasn't there. Immediately he jumped up and began calling out her name.

"Kagome! Kagome! Where are you, Kagome?" Each moment that passed his words became more frantic. Finally he heard a reply.

"Inuyasha…" The voice softly said. He turned around and tried to see where the voice was coming from. Then he heard it again.

"Inuyasha…" He then saw a shadowy figure approach him out of the mist. To his dismay it was only Miroku, Sango and Shippo. Miroku and Shippo were still passed out so they were laid on Kirara's back.

"Inuyasha where is Kagome?" Sango asked with a slight bit of concern.

"You mean, she isn't with you either?" He asked realizing the full urgency if the situation. "Sango I need you to take Miroku and Shippo out of this forest as fast as you can ok?"

"Yeah ok, but what about Kagome?" She asked getting on Kirara.

"Don't worry I'll find her!" He said running off into the fog. Sango and Kirara did as Inuyasha asked and took their friends to safety. Even being a half demon, it was hard to see through the fog. He had been running around calling her name for twenty minutes already and still had no sign of her.

Kagome was still in the same spot, lying on the cold muddy ground. She hadn't stopped sobbing, she only kept thinking about how much her friends and Inuyasha had been in pain because of her. Memories replayed in head pf times in battle when she got hurt and one of them saved her, or got hurt trying to save her. She never really noticed how completely helpless and weak she was.

The fog was covering her entire body, there was no way Inuyasha was going to be able to find if she didn't stand up, but she didn't care. All she knew was that she was a burden to her friends and Kikyo had just proved that. Even when she heard Inuyasha call her name she didn't move, she just cried harder.

Finally the fog started to disperse and Inuyasha could see something lying on the ground in the distance. Once he got closer he noticed the raven black hair and the school girl uniform. _"That's Kagome!" _He ran frantically to her, trying to his best to stay calm. Once he got a few feet away he stopped. Inuyasha looked down and starred at her. Kagome looked like she was dead, she wasn't moving and had her hand firmly pressed against her cheek. The only thing that made him know she was alive were her silent sobs. 

"Kagome…?" he asked walking up net to her. At first she didn't respond which made him worry but them she slightly lifted up her head and looked at him. She didn't say anything only put her head back the way it was. _"Something is wrong with her."_ He thought sitting down next to her. Kagome shifted her self more into a ball and began to cry once again. Inuyasha had no idea why she was crying or shy she wouldn't look at him. Finally she spoke,

"Inuyasha...I'm sorry…"

"Why are you sorry?" he asked patting his hand on her back. "Come on Kagome look at me." She sat herself up, so that she was sitting on her knees in front of him. She didn't want to look at him, for is she did she knew she would cry harder.

"It's my fault. I'm sorry." Inuyasha looked at her confused. _"Why does she keep saying she's sorry?" _he wondered to himself.

"Kagome, please tell me why your sorry? You didn't do anything."

"But that's just it, I didn't do anything to help you, and because of me you got hurt." The tears were still falling down her cheeks.

"What are you talking about; you just being here helps me. And it's not your fault that I got hurt, it was Naraku's." Kagome smiled at his small comment and she felt a little less worthless. "Besides, do you think this measly bump hurts? You must be joking." He tried to cheer her up by being his normal arrogant self, while really he was worried sick. "Now tell me what the hell you are doing all the way over here?"

Finally she was able to look at him and finally her tears stopped. "I…I was brought here by Naraku and Mauro. Then Kikyo showed up." Kagome looked at him and saw how tense he became hearing the last name that was said. _I get it now. Kikyo must have said something to her. There was no way she would think this on her own."_

"What did she say to you Kagome?"

"She…she just…she said nothing." She lied. But Inuyasha was no fool, he saw right through that.

"Kagome tell me the truth, what did Kikyo say to you?" Kagome didn't want to answer him. For she knew if she did then she would have to tell him that Kikyo was working with Naraku, and she knew how much pain that would cause him.

"She really didn't say anything, Inuyasha."

"Tell me!" He yelled. The words brought back painful memories of when Mauro had screamed at her and then slapped her forcefully across the face. Kagome turned away from him a slowly removed her hand from her cheek. It had gotten much worse and it was clearly starting to bruise.

"Inuyasha I don't…" Inuyasha starred at her, and then noticed the small purple swelling on, her used to be, rosy cheek.

"Kagome did they hurt you?" He asked alarmed. Kagome then covered her cheek back up, and though it did hurt, things could have been worse.

"Its nothing, Mauro just slapped me that's all. I will be fine." She said as she tried to calm his worried, confused eyes. Inuyasha gave a small, muffled growl.

"Did they do anything else to you?"

"No." Kagome simply replied. Inuyasha could tell that she wasn't being herself, so he decided to bring her into his arms for comfort. For a few moments Kagome appreciated this comfort and she liked the feeling off being safe in his arms. Then she remembered what Kikyo had said. _You are the one who caused them this pain. _Kagome immediately pulled away from and stood up, turning her back to him. Inuyasha looked at her confused and then he too stood up.

"Inuyasha...I can't do this…" Tears were built up, deep in her eyes. She knew that what she had to say was going to be hard for the both of them.

"Do…what…?" Inuyasha could tell that what she was going to say wasn't going to be a good thing.

"I can't do this, any of this. I can no longer stay in the feudal era…" She slowed her pace in the last sentence. Inuyasha was completely shocked and couldn't believe what she was saying. _"She couldn't stay in the feudal era? Then how would we be together?"_

"Kagome what are you talking about? You _can't_ stay in the feudal era? Then how…how would we be together…" his words and his voice sounded hurt and Kagome hated hearing him this way.

"I'm talking about us not being together!" She screamed, still not facing him. Inuyasha's ears twitched. Did she really just say that they shouldn't be together? His heart felt like it had dropped into the pit of his stomach.

"Why Kagome, why can't we be together?" His said as his anger and confusion had finally got to him. _"Why'd he half to ask that. Can't he see this is hard for me too? If only he could have just accepted the fact that there is no way I can be with him, not when I'm the one causing him to become hurt…"_

"Inuyasha…I…there's just no way…" Kagome didn't want to say it. She wanted to be with him. Oh, how desperately she wanted to be with him. She wanted him to love her and hold her when she was scared. She wanted him to be there to cheer her up when she was sad. She wanted to be there, by his side and help him through tough times. But there was no way any of that could happen, because she was putting him in danger and if anything happened to him, she wouldn't be able to live with herself.

"Kagome, there must be a way!" He ran in front of her and placed both his hands on both her shoulders. "There…there must be a way…I…I love you, isn't that good enough?" Kagome looked deeply into his amber eyes and couldn't help but melt at his words. She loved him too and there was truly nothing more in life that she wanted then to be with him. But in the back of her mind Kikyo's words kept ringing in her head.

"I love too, but…" she took a moment and once again thought about Kikyo. The tears in her eyes were building up heavily and she didn't know how long she could keep them in. "But what if you got hurt…or worse! Then it would be all my fault and I…I just couldn't live with myself if that happened!" she was now in frantic sobs and shaking Inuyasha by his kimono with her two hands.

"You shouldn't worry about that, and besides if anything did happen then it wouldn't be your fault." Inuyasha said wrapping his arms around her trembling body.

"Yeah but what if you were trying to save me! I don't want you to get hurt just because I was in trouble." She said, her sobs getting less intense.

"Like I said it wouldn't be your fault, so you shouldn't blame yourself. Any ways if I was trying to save you then it was because _I _wanted to, no other reason." Kagome took comfort in his words and wiped the tears away from her face, trying to stop herself from crying. After a few moments Kagome looked up at him and spoke.

"Are you sure you want me to stay?" she asked. He nodded his head. "Ok I will stay…I will stay with you."


	17. Souta?

Inuyasha and Kagome left the misty fog and went back to finding their friends. Although they handy realized it, Kagome left behind a picture of her family. It was of her mother, brother, grandpa and her father. It was the last picture taken of all them before her father had died. An unknown person came to the small picture that lay on the ground and gently picked it up. A small smile came to his face as he tucked it in his kimono.

"This will do nicely."

Later that day, when the sun had finally fallen down below the horizon and the moon was up high in the sky, all of them were sitting in silence, only passing glances between each other. Shippo was the only one who didn't seem to notice the awkward silence that had been ever since Kagome told them about Kikyo and Naraku. And like Kagome expected Inuyasha was hurt to know that Kikyo was working with their worst enemy. Even though he put it off as he didn't care, she new better then that. She could see the pain in his eyes and it hurt her to know that there was nothing she could say to comfort him. Shippo happily ate the food that the nice lord prepared for them.

Earlier, when Miroku woke, he suggested they stay in a village that night because of the unfortunate luck they had been having sleeping in forests lately. Even though they had the money for an Inn that night, Miroku sensed a "amorous" aura in the wealthiest house in the village. How convenient. No of them touched their food, except Shippo of course, they were all too deep in thought to worry about their stomachs. Kagome was the only one who seemed to worry about it though and although she knew Inuyasha didn't want to talk to anyone or do anything she knew she had to say something.

"Inuyasha, here," She pushed the bowl of rice in front of him. "You should eat. We all used a lot of strength today and you need to regain it." Kagome felt like her mother saying these words but she knew he had to eat.

"Feh. I'm not hungry." He responded, turning away from her. "Kagome only sighed and turned to Miroku and Sango.

"What about you guys?" At first they didn't answer but thought that Kagome had a point and picked up their bowls and ate it silently.

"Why is everyone being so quiet?" Shippo asked curiously. Kagome ruffled his hair and shook her head, not wanting to explain the situation to someone as young as him. Shippo just forgot about the question and continued to eat his fried fish and rice. Kagome got up and sat down next to Inuyasha, laying a comforting hand on his shoulder, hoping that it would help.

"Inuyasha do you want to talk?" she asked kindly. But Kagome's comfort didn't help; he only turned away from her more.

"There's nothing to talk about." He simply responded.

"Well if you want to talk I'm here, I will always be here. You can trust me." Inuyasha then remembered a memory of long ago when he and Kikyo were still in love, before Naraku had pitted them against each other.

FLASHBACK

_The wind rushed past the trees, lifting all the leaves high up in the air. The day was hot, but the gentle breeze gave them some comfort. Both, Inuyasha and Kikyo sat under the shade of a tree by a water fall close to the village. They had just been in a demon battle. The demon knew his father and thought of him as a disgrace for falling in love with a human. He thought even worse about Inuyasha because he was a half demon. The demon's words echoed in his head over and over again. "Stupid half-breed, you will never be good enough for anyone, not even a mortal. You will end up just like your father, pathetic." After defeating the demon they decided to take rest under this tree._

_Neither of them spoke and Kikyo knew Inuyasha was deep in thought about his father and what the demon had said. Deciding to try and comfort him she sat down next to him a laid a hand on his shoulder._

"_Inuyasha if you need to talk I am here, I will always be here. You can trust me." Inuyasha in deed found her words comforting and decided to tell her about his difficult past. But only a day later Naraku pitted them against each other making them betray whatever trust they had._

END OF FLASHBACK

Inuyasha just shook his head, remembering how Kagome's words had been similar to Kikyo's.

"How do I know I can trust you? You say that one minute then the next you can say something completely different…just like Kikyo." He said the last part in a whisper but Kagome still heard him. Inuyasha wasn't really directing at Kagome, as much as he was directing it at Kikyo and himself. He was only speaking out of frustration and didn't really know what to think about the whole thing. Kagome on the other hand took his words harshly but knew he didn't mean it, he was only hurt and angry.

She got up and walked to a door on the other side of the room. Slowly she opened it, sliding it as gently as she could.

"Kagome, where are you going?" Sango and Shippo both asked.

"I'm going to take a bath; I just need to think a little." Inuyasha's ear twitched as she said those words and closed the door behind her. "_Now look what you have done, damit you can be so stupid sometimes."_ Inuyasha thought cursing himself.

Kagome filled the big wooden tub with water and set her towel on the side, next to her clothes. She stepped up the stairs and lifted her legs in the steamy water, slowly slipping her whole body down into it. Only the tops of her shoulders and her head were above water. Feeling the relaxing sensation from the heat Kagome let out a long sigh and began to think of what Inuyasha said earlier. _"Am I really like Kikyo? No. I would never betray Inuyasha, never." _She decided it better to stop thinking about that and concentrate on relaxing. A slight giggle made her jump from her place in the tub; quickly cover herself up with her arms. Through the wooden bars on the window she could only see the small head of a child. She could see his big brown eyes and raven black hair; much like hers.

"Souta?" she wondered. The little both bolted away, laughing. Kagome leaped out of the tub and wrapped her towel around herself and ran after him, escaping from the side door that led to the out side.

Kagome ran faster and faster trying to catch up with him. She could still see his faint figure running in the distance. Finally the boy stopped. In his hands he held a soccer ball. Kagome was a few feet away from him panting hard trying to catch her breath. She held her towel clutched in her hand at her chest to keep it from falling.

"Souta is that really you?" she asked confused. The little boy bounced the ball on his knees, then on his head; much like Souta always did to impress her or Inuyasha. "But how did you get here?"

"I followed you. Why, are you not happy to see me?" He asked sadly, letting the ball fall freely to the ground.

"Of course I'm happy-" she was cut off.

"No your not. You are lying, you don't want me here." The boy turned around and began to walk away, slowly his body began to fade. Kagome ran after him, reaching her other hand out to try and reach him.

"No, don't leave. I'm happy you're here! Please Souta don't go, its too dangerous!" But before she could reach him, he disappeared. Kagome stopped. Was he really there or was she imagining things.

As she began too walk back to the house she didn't realize how far away from the village she was led. She brought both arms in close together, rubbing the sides, trying to keep warm.

"_I guess I should apologize."_ Inuyasha thought getting up to go find Kagome. As he approached the door to the bathing room, he could see the steam leaking under the door. Slowly he opened the door, only slightly, knowing Kagome would freak if she caught him looking at her.

"Kagome…?" he asked. There was no response. "You in here?" Inuyasha said opening the door all the way. A wave of steam rushed over him as he looked around. The entire room was filled with steam. As he walked over the tub a blush set in upon his face.

"Umm…Kagome…?" he asked once again. When there still was no response, he looked in the tub. She wasn't there. He looked over to the small table and noticed her clothes, but her towel missing. _"If her clothes are here, then where is she?" _he ran out the side door, following her scent.

"Geez I really must be loosing it." She said shaking her head. _"But that looked and sounded just like Souta; I could have sworn he was there." _She glanced down at the ground and noticed how muddy her feet were. "Well I guess that bath was a waste of time." she sighed. When she looked up she could see a red figure running toward her. "He was worried about me." A gentle smile formed on her face.

A wave of relief swept over him, seeing her walking slowly toward him. _"There she is." _ He kept his pace and ran to her. He stopped in front of her, as she looked lovingly at him.

"Where did you go? And why are you the way the hell out here?" He asked looking around the disserted outskirts of the village.

"I thought I saw something is all." She responded. "Inuyasha do you happen to pick up the scent of my little brother or a demon around here?"

"No. why?"

"Never mind." They began to walk back to the village. A loud sneeze came from Kagome as she put her hands over her nose. "Excuse me." She said sniffling. Inuyasha glanced down at her shivering figure. There were goose bumps all up and down her body.

"Here," he said talking off the robe of the fire rat. "Your going catch it to death out here like that." Inuyasha gently draped it around her shoulders. Kagome gabbed the sides of it and wrapped it around her. It was still warm from his body. Truth be told she rather be held in his warm loving arms then his kimono.

"Kagome I'm sorry…about what I said earlier. I don't mean it."

"I know." She said simply, and then leaned into him, trying to gain any extra warmth. Inuyasha smiled at her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, bring her closer to him. _"Kagome…your nothing like Kikyo…"_


	18. Miroku, the lecherus Monk

The photo gently drifted to the ground from the demon's hands. Naraku's eye brow lifted.

"What is it?" he said picking it up from Mauro's feet. "Ahh…I see." Naraku realized what Mauro was scheming. Both demons laughed as they began to plan their attack.

Once they got back in the room, they had found Miroku laughing, watching a few of the village maidens' dance for him. Shippo was silently shaking his head and Sango starred at him sadly. But of course Miroku didn't notice. Inuyasha just crossed his arms then went and sat down next to him and Shippo, leaving Kagome to talk to Sango. Kagome placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Come on Sango come talk to me." Kagome said leading herself and her friend into the bathing room. "Just give me a minute to change ok?" Kagome grabbed her clothes and went behind the large tub. Sango found a small bench, leaned up against the wall by the door and decided to sit on it. Pretty soon Kagome was done and walked back from behind the tub. She was wearing her blue checkered set of pajamas and had her brush in her hand, slowly bring it to the top of her head then back down again, combing the knots out.

"Sango, Miroku is just being an idiot and doesn't know how much this hurts you." Kagome tried to say comfortingly.

"Well what reason gives him the idea that I'm happy when he does this?" Sango yelled out of frustration, and then lowered her voice back down. "Some times I wonder if I'm really the only one he claims to love."

"Oh, Sango…" Kagome could see what Sango was feeling by her eyes. They were so sad and disappointed. A few moments later you could hear the faint footsteps of all the women leaving. "I will be right back." She said walking back into the larger room of the house. She walked right up to Miroku and hit him on the head with her fist.

"You idiot!" she screamed. Miroku had no clue why she was so mad at him.

"What did I do?" He said out of defense. Inuyasha and Shippo both rolled their eyes because they knew exactly why Kagome was upset. Kagome just got angrier because all of it was completely obvious.

"I swear, if there was a snake in front of your face you wouldn't notice!"

"Miroku," Inuyasha stepped in. "All your leching has hurt Sango's feelings. Haven't you noticed? Even I noticed, geez…Kagome is right you are an idiot." Miroku scanned the room looking for his beloved Sango. "She's in the bath room." Inuyasha finished nodding his head toward the door. Miroku walked over to the door and gently slid it open walking into the small hallway.

Sango sat by herself letting her thoughts run through her mind freely. That's when she heard the bath room door open. When she looked up she saw Miroku standing there. She immediately turned away from him, not wanting to look at him. Miroku just sat down next to her. For a few minutes there was an awkward silence that is until Miroku finally spoke.

"Sango what is bothering you?" He asked calmly.

"What is bothering me? What is bothering _me_!? What's bothering me is, you! You don't even notice how upset I get when you flirt with other girls Miroku!" Sango was getting angrier and angrier as the moments passed by.

"Sango but it is all in good fun, you know that you're the only one for me-"

"No it's not fun Miroku! Not for me it isn't. And the way you act, it makes me wonder if you really do care for me at all." She yelled.

"But Sango this shouldn't hurt you, it's not like I do anything with them afterwards." Sango's eyes went wide.

"Oh, so what am I? Your after show!?"

"No I didn't mean it like-"

"So what you are saying is, that you need other girls to make you happy but when none of them are around you use me to get your enjoyment? What am I to you Miroku, your sloppy seconds!" Sango sighed heavily, feeling the sting of tears upon her eyes. "I can't do this anymore. Goodbye Miroku." She whispered quietly walking past Miroku to the other room.

Miroku was left by himself, alone on the bench to think about what Sango had said. _"She doesn't really mean that does she?" _

Inuyasha, Kagome and Shippo heard all the yelling and wondered what as going to happen between the two of them. That's when Sango walked back in the room. She walked past Inuyasha and Shippo quietly but as she walked past Kagome she stopped.

"Its over." She whispered, letting her bangs fall in front of her eyes, then she continued to walk into the other room where they were supposed to sleep. Kagome was really surprised but decided to leave it at that for tonight, knowing that her friend was emotionally and physically exhausted. She looked over to Inuyasha and it was almost as if he knew what she was going to say. He nodded back in response and Kagome mouthed out 'Goodnight' then walked behind Sango into the other room. Soon after the girls were gone Miroku came back into the room and went straight to his bed, thinking about what Sango had said.

Sango didn't say a word to Kagome, but she didn't have to. Kagome knew what she was feeling but didn't know if it was the right time to comfort her. Sango slipped gently into the blankets, pulling them up over her body to her shoulders. She rolled over to face the wall away from Kagome. Kagome looked at her sadly and felt bad for her.

"Goodnight Sango." She said, but there was no response. Kagome gently blew out the candle then slipped into the herself in the covers as well.

Hours later, Miroku had fallen asleep and Inuyasha sat up with his eyes closed, as he always did, watching over his friends. The slight sound of snoring made him open his eyes and look down. Shippo was sitting next to him, he sat exactly how Inuyasha was sitting; arms folded and legs crossed. Earlier in the evening, when Inuyasha had gotten back with Kagome, Shippo asked if he could stay up with Inuyasha and help protect his friends. And even though Inuyasha knew he would fall asleep, he still said yes to the little fox demon. Inuyasha just shook his head and gently picked up the sleeping Shippo and then walked into the girl's room.

"Kagome…" He whispered walking quietly into their room. On the floor lay two sleeping figures; Sango to the left and Kagome to the right. Inuyasha simply walked over to Kagome and knelt down next to her.

"Kagome…" he said again gently shaking her shoulder. Finally she fluttered her eyes open.

"Yeah what is it?" she said tiredly.

"Shippo fell asleep, so I brought him in here to sleep with you guys."

"Oh, ok." She responded and took Shippo into her arms and laid him down next to her. She placed the covers over him so he wouldn't get cold. Inuyasha got up and started to walk back to Miroku.

"Goodnight Kagome." He whispered.

"Inuyasha, wait. Stay with me." Inuyasha looked at her oddly but came back and sat down next to her.

"You ok Kagome?" He asked. Kagome was just thinking about the vision of her little brother she had earlier that night.

"Yeah I'm fine." The truth was she kind of scared herself when she found out he was never there, and she was still scared. "No, I'm not. I kind of freaked myself out a little."

"Is there anything I can do?"

"Just hold me; I feel better knowing that you're here." Inuyasha laid down next to her, breathing in her sweet scent. He wished he could stay like this forever. One of Inuyasha's arms was wrapped around her waist, laying softly on her stomach. The other arm was tucked under his head, like a pillow. Kagome smiled as she laid her arm on top of his. Feeling safe, she drifted off to sleep. Inuyasha looked down at her and could feel sleep coming over him. He placed his head on her shoulder and finally let sleep take him away.

Sango had heard Inuyasha and Kagome talking and woke up. She waited until she knew they were both asleep before sitting up. When she looked over at them, she saw the way that they were sleeping. It made her wish she had someone to hold her like that, but instead she had Miroku, the lecher. Still, she couldn't help but love him. Knowing that one day, after Naraku was defeated, she would sleep next to him like that made her regret what she said to him that night. _"I should have at least let him apologize."_ She thought to herself, while walked up to the door way. She slid it open only enough to see Miroku. He was sleeping quietly in the middle of the room, by himself. She sighed then looked back at Kagome and Inuyasha. _"Miroku…" _

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait, school was just hectic. I know this chapter is a little short and it was kinda of dramatic but dont worry the group is going to have a break from drama in the next couple of chapters. Keep reading and dont forget to review! XD **

**Wolfhowler245**


	19. The Midnight Talk

About an hour before dawn Sango still couldn't sleep. She just kept thinking more and more about Miroku. Not wanting to sit in the dark room any longer, Sango silently crept on to the porch of the house. She looked up at the moon and wondered what she was going to do about him. Sango began to seek out comfort from Kirara, who was curled up next to her.

"I just don't know what to think anymore Kirara." Sango spoke to her small friend while stroking her back. Kirara only purred in response then went back to sleep. "Well you're a great listener aren't you?" Sango said, giggling a little. Kagome heard voices so she opened her eyes. When she saw that Sango was missing from her bed she knew who the voices belonged to.

Gently she pulled the covers off her body and slipped out of Inuyasha's embrace as quite as she could so that not to wake him. She put on her shoes and walked out to the porch, where she sat down next to Sango. "Need some company?"

"Sure." Sango replied.

"So…how are you?" Kagome asked innocently.

"Good I guess…" she took a pause. "Ok, so I'm not 'good'. Kagome can I tell you the honest truth?"

"Of course you can Sango."

"Honestly I really don't know if I did the right thing. Last night when I looked at you and Inuyasha sleeping next to each other like that it hit me, I was jealous of you. I longed for that feeling of comfort." Her tone got quiet.

"Sango, Miroku loves you too, it's just that he doesn't really notice the way that it hurts you when he does stuff like this. You have to talk to him."

"I can't. Not after what I said last night." A small tear came to her eye and it gently ran down her cheek. Kagome scooted as close as she could to her friend and gave her hug.

"Sango you have to, you still love him." Sango's eyes went wide when she realized that Kagome was right and she new what she had to do.

"You're right, thanks Kagome." Sango said giving her a hug.

Inuyasha stirred a little in his sleep and felt the warmth next to him was gone. Tiredly he used his arm to search for the body that was there when he first fell asleep. Finally when he couldn't find her, he got up and walked over to the door. When he opened it he saw Kagome and Sango watching the sun rise together. He smiled and decided it was best to leave them alone to talk, so he walked back into the room and tried to fall asleep again. It had been about an hour and a half or so, of talking and both girls decided it was best if at least one of them got some sleep. Sango was still too unsure about things to go back to sleep so Kagome did instead. A loud yawn came from her as she walked back into the room where Inuyasha was sleeping. Kagome wrapped her self under the blankets and snuggled up closer to Inuyasha, letting his warm body press against hers. _"He's so warm…"_

Sango starred off into the distance for a little while longer, before picking Kirara up and walking back into the house. She stood, leaned up against the wall, watching Miroku as he slept. _"I want to talk to him but, I cant, not just yet."_ She walked back to her bed and tried to fall asleep.

It was a about noon or so when Sango finally woke up. When she sat up she noticed that she was the only one in the room. "I must have been asleep for a long time." she got up and walked over to the door and gently slid it open. In the other room Miroku, Inuyasha, Kagome and Shippo were all sitting around in a circle drinking tea.

Miroku glanced up and his eyes immediately fell onto Sango. _"Did she really mean what she said last night?"_ For a few minutes there was an awkward silence.

"Well now that everyone is up, how about we leave?" Kagome stated, trying to break the uncomfortable feeling that had surrounded the room.

Miroku thanked the master of the house for letting them stay there and soon enough the group was back on the road. For awhile no one spoke, that is until Shippo got bored and began to tease and play tricks on everyone. He would sometimes use his fox magic toys, while other times he would just tap on peoples shoulders, annoyingly. Finally after about twenty minuets Inuyasha got fed up.

"Shippo! You little runt, KNOCK IT OFF!!" he said turning around and yelling in the kitsune's face. Shippo quickly jumped behind Miroku to hide from Inuyasha. Kagome gently rubbed Inuyasha's shoulder trying to make him calm down while Inuyasha took deep breathes from yelling so much. Sango giggled at the sight of a frustrated Inuyasha and sweat dropped Kagome. It was the first time all day she had even made a sound. Everyone looked back at her with shock in their eyes.

"What, can I not laugh?" Sango retorted. The group just turned back around and continued walking. They had walked the entire day, only stopping once to eat. It was now late at night and Inuyasha and Miroku decided that it would be better if they didn't stop because of the things that have been happening recently and all time they had lost the past few days. It was late and Kagome was riding on Inuyasha's back, fast asleep. Sango on the other hand was on Kirara, sleeping on her back. Because she didn't get any sleep the night before, she was really tired. Shippo was asleep in her arms. Miroku kept taking long glances at Sango then when realizing Inuyasha was watching he would turn back around. After about 3 hours of Miroku doing this, Inuyasha finally said something.

"No matter how long or many times you look at her, its not going to change anything." Miroku looked surprised at his friend's words. "You have to talk to her. That's the only way you can things back the way they were with Sango." Inuyasha just kept walking as Miroku stopped. Kirara walked right mast him, giving him a small comforting 'mew'. _"I suppose Inuyasha is right."_ He continued to walk behind Kirara.

A little while longer Inuyasha decided that they should sit down for a little while and rest a bit. Gently he set Kagome on the ground against a tree, while he himself sat down next to her. He pulled her close to him so that she was leaned up against him instead of the tree. Inuyasha then put his arms around her and shut his eyes for a few minutes. Miroku on the other hand was keep glancing between Inuyasha and Kagome, and Sango. He couldn't take it anymore. The words of Inuyasha kept ringing in his ear. _"You have to talk to her."_ He wanted to talk to her and he wanted to talk to her _now._ Miroku quietly got up and went over to Kirara and gently shook Sango's shoulders.

"Sango, wake up." He whispered. A few moments later Sango's eyes fluttered open.

"What is it Miroku? Is there a problem?" She asked kind of worried, after all it was the middle of the night.

"No there is no problem I just need to talk to you."

"Now?" she asked looking at the midnight sky.

"Yes." He simply responded. Sango could see the desperation in his eyes and knew that he must really want to talk to her to act like this. She nodded and followed him a little ways away from Inuyasha and the others. Inuyasha just shut his open eye and pulled Kagome closer to, with a smirk on his face.

Back with Miroku and Sango, she noticed that they were going kind of far and wanted to know the reason he had to talk to her in the middle of the night. Finally they stopped.

"Sango…I…." Miroku started but he didn't really know what to say. He didn't know how to apologize to her. He wanted to make it up to her and make things better between them. "Did you really mean what you said the other night…about the engagement being over?" he asked solemnly. Sango was sort of surprised by his question. She didn't know what to say because she didn't know how she felt herself.

"I don't know Miroku." She took a pause before starting again. "I can't keep doing this."

"Doing what?" he asked.

"We went over this already! I cant stand it when you flirt around with other girls or when you ask them to bear your children…I mean I already told you that I would, am I not good enough?" he expression became sad and tears began to swell in her eyes. Miroku felt a huge weight of guilt. "I guess I would be mad too." He thought to him self.

"Sango if you forgive me I promise that I won't hurt you again in anyway. I hate to see you like this, please forgive me." He pleaded grasping onto her hand. She looked deep into his eyes and saw that he truly was telling the truth.

"You promise?"

"Absolutely." He responded his eyes filling up with hope. Sango scooted closer to him and leaned her head upon his shoulder, Miroku leaned back.

"Ok, I forgive you." Miroku smiled and reached his hand to he chin, making her look at him.

"Thank you Sango." He said before he pulled her into a deep kiss. At first, Sango was surprised and thought that maybe she should pull away, but then her eyes shut and she reached her hand to his neck and pulled him closer deepening the passionate kiss. _"Finally."_ Sango thought, she wanted Miroku to do that for such a long time. They stayed like that for a while before they had to pull away in need of air. They smiled up at each other and began to walk back to where Inuyasha and Kagome were, holding each other's hands the entire time.

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**A/N: Sorry for the long wait for the update. Don't worry though CH 20 is well under way. It should be up sometime this week. :D **

**xoxo Wolfhowler245**

**PS don't forget to review!**


	20. Attraction

Once Miroku and Sango were back the group set off once again. Sango was awake now so she stayed up with the guys, while Kagome was still sound asleep on Inuyasha's back. Miroku and Sango kept casting glances at each other with huge smiles across their faces. Inuyasha could only roll his eyes at his two friends. They were acting so giddy and mushy; it kind of made him think about Kagome. He took one glance behind his shoulder and looked at the sleeping Kagome. She always looked so peaceful in her sleep. But what the half demon didn't know was that her sleep wasn't peaceful at all. She was actually having a nightmare.

_She felt salty tears streaming down her face. She saw them together once again. Inuyasha was kneeled upon the ground holding Kikyo is his arms. She couldn't believe or understand what was happening; all she knew was that she had to get away. She ran and ran until her legs were too tired to keep going. When she stopped she was in front of the Sacred Tree. Their tree. She looked up at it with tears in her eyes. Then she turned around to see Inuyasha there with a very confused and hurt look on his face. "Kagome what are you saying?" was all he asked. The next thing she knew Inuyasha was on the ground…Dead. _

Her sudden dream had snapped her back into reality; warm tears welled up in her eyes. It was the exact same dream she had when she was injured and sleeping in the hut. She was starring at her hand thinking about what had happened. It all seemed so real; she couldn't remember where she was at all. The only thing that was in her mind was Inuyasha's dead body. Inuyasha looked at her strangely. Only a moment ago she was sleeping peacefully, what had changed so drastically?

"Kagome, are you ok? He asked with concern written all over his face. Kagome looked past her hand to see Inuyasha's kimono and the fact that she was on Inuyasha's back. Her heart skipped up beat when she looked up to see his amber eyes looking down at her confused. Her eyes went wide as the tears spilled down her cheeks.

"Oh Inuyasha!" she screamed, wrapping her arms around him tightly. Her tears were still streaming down her rosy cheeks. Inuyasha gently took her off his back and let her stand on her own but kept his arms still around her, trying to give her comfort. He had his arms around her lower back while hers were around his neck, lovingly.

"What happened Kagome?"

"It was horrible, it was the same. The same…" was all she managed to whisper out hugging his neck and shoulders tighter.

"What was the same?" he asked. Miroku and Sango were a few feet away watching Kagome hold Inuyasha desperately as if she was going to loose him if she let go.

"It was the same dream I had before." She loosened her grip and took her head off his shoulders to look into his eyes so that she could explain.  
I had to watch you die all over again." She sobbed. Inuyasha placed a hand on her head a pulled her back closer to him.

"Don't worry Kagome nothing will happen to me I promise."

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It had been a few hours since Kagome's emotional break down and the whole group had been awake for a while. By this time Sango had told Kagome of what happened between her and Miroku. Kagome was so happy that she nearly knocked Sango to the ground in her fit of excitement.

They were walking in something like a valley, with hills and trees surrounding them. After about another hour they came through a pass that led to the beach. Kagome ran to the edge of the hill and looked down on the ocean.

"It's gorgeous." There were seagulls flying above them, and there were no clouds in sight. It was perfect. Kagome turned to Inuyasha; he knew what she was going to say.

"Inuyasha can we stop for a little while?" She pleaded.

"No. Were in search of Naraku, we don't have time to stop."

"Please." A small smile was mounted on her lips as she looked up at him. He just rolled his eyes._ "Damnit she can get me to do anything." _

"Fine."

"Yay!" Kagome screamed, jumping up in the air. "Come on guys what are you waiting for?" With her right hand she grabbed on to Sango and began to run to the beach. Miroku and Inuyasha walked calmly down after them, watching the two of them nearly trip down the hill. Once Inuyasha and Miroku reached the girls they were laughing and breathing heavily from running. Only seconds later Kagome once again grabbed Sango and both of them ran behind a large rock.

"Were changing, so no peeking," Kagome screamed from behind the big boulder.

"She's talking to you Miroku." Shippo said looking at Miroku's face that had turned from mischievous to disappointment in a matter of seconds.

"How disappointing…" Miroku sighed.

"Letcher." Inuyasha grumbled under his breath. A few minutes later they heard scrambling from the girls.

"Come on Sango you look great." Kagome whispered trying to get Sango to step out from behind the rock.

"Kagome no, I can't go out there wearing this." She looked down at herself to point out to Kagome that this would never work. She was wearing a two piece bikini. It was a light shade of pink with large, white poka dots on it. "I mean Miroku is out there." She said putting her hair up in a high ponytail.

"Good that's even more reason to go. Now you can show him that you are much prettier than those girls." She said trying to push her out.

The boys on the other hand starred at the rock with a eye brow raised. They were so confused. Through out the screaming, every now and then they would see a leg or maybe an arm but not a full body. "Would you guys hurry it up please?" Asked an annoyed Inuyasha.

"Just go!" And with one large shove, Kagome was able to push Sango out from behind the rock. She starred evilly and Kagome for a minute before looking back in front of her. Miroku's mouth almost hit the floor. He had never seen Sango like this before. Once Sango noticed Miroku starring at her, and almost drooling, a blush set in on her face.

"Come on Kagome." Sango said waving a hand for Kagome to come out, hoping that it would make things less awkward. Kagome was wearing a simple black two piece bikini. On the bottoms it had two ties on either side with green beads at the ends. The bottoms fit perfectly as they hugged to her hips. Her top was also tied. It was a halter and at the end of the strings it too had green beads. Kagome walked out very calmly like she always walked. She wasn't nervous in the least, not like Sango was. Inuyasha starred at her for a moment to take in her figure. He looked up and down her body noticing all her curves and just starred for as long as he could to soak in how amazing she looked.

"What's the matter Inuyasha?" Kagome asked walking up to him.

"Ah-em…ah-em…Nothing." He said clearing his throat first.

"Ok." She said grabbing his hand. She put her fingers in between his and leaned up against his side. Sango was watching Miroku as drool was dripping off his chin. She was laughing a little.

"They look so cute together." Kagome sighed to Inuyasha.

"Feh." Inuyasha couldn't care less at the moment about the monk. All he cared about was Kagome. Inuyasha gently squeezed her hand tighter as he looked down at her and smiled. She looked right back at him and gave him a small gentle smile before leading him to a drooling Miroku.

While Miroku was drooling with stars in his eyes, Sango was completely loving the attention. She was doing little twirls and sending him cute little smiles. Kagome had never seen her friend act that way before but she just figured that Sango was just so happy that her and Miroku were finally together that she could finally show her emotions and stop hiding them.

"How about we go swimming?" Kagome asked innocently. Sango looked at her and her eyes immediately filled with joy.

"That sounds like fun!" both Sango and Shippo said at the same time. Miroku too didn't hesitate to go. How could he resist going swimming with two beautiful ladies practically wearing nothing.

"I will go." Miroku said agreeing. He took off the lighter purple top part of his kimono and tossed it to the side.

"What about you Inuyasha?" Kagome questioned. Inuyasha looked up and down her body again and his cheeks were beginning to turn pink.

"Maybe later." He said turning away from her.

"You sure?" he just simply nodded. "Ok…" Shippo was already splashing in the waves with Miroku running in after him. He took one deep breath and dove under the wave. Sango took one step in the ocean and felt a shiver run up her body.

"Uh guys it's a little cold, I'm going to lay out in the sun for a little bit." She said laying her self down on the hot sun, closing her eyes to cover them from the sun. Kagome was in about stomach deep water with Miroku and Shippo lying on their backs swimming around her. She could only laugh. Inuyasha turned when he heard her laughter. He did want to go swimming with her, but he was nervous for some reason. _"Come on Inuyasha, your just going swimming with Kagome, no big deal. It's just Kagome."_ He thought mentally to himself.

Miroku got out of the water and walked over to Sango who was lying peacefully on the ground. She felt water droplets hit her cheeks and opened her eyes to see who it was. Above her was Miroku. He was looking at her with a evil grin on his face.

"And just what do you want?" she asked him playfully. Miroku only smiled wider. Before Sango knew it Miroku had her bridal style in his arms. "Miroku what are you doing!?" she screamed as he carried her toward the ocean.

"I want you to swim with me." He said as he continued walking into the water until he was waist deep. He eyed her evilly and gave her a wink.

"Miroku DON'T YOU DARE-" she screamed but before she could finish Miroku dropped her in the water. When she came up her pony tail was half out of its holder and was all in her face. She squirted water out of her mouth before slapping him on the arm playfully. "Your evil." She said glaring at him. Kagome couldn't take it anymore, she just had to laugh.

"Hahaha Sango that was hilarious!" She laughed holding her stomach.

"Yeah come on Sango you have to admit that was funny." Miroku joked.

"You know what's funny?" she asked serious. "THIS!" she said pushing him down under the water. When he came back up he splashed water at her. She looked at him like 'I cant believe you did that' and splashed him back, but Miroku was to fast and ducked, making it Kagome.

"Ah, you hit me Sango!" Kagome said splashing at Sango. Soon enough the three of them were splashing each other like crazy. Inuyasha watched them as they laughed and smiled. _"Looks like fun."_ He thought. _"But I…I…cant."_ A few moments later Kagome looked up at the shore and saw a depressed half demon sitting alone on the beach. She left Miroku and Sango and began to walk up to him. She stopped only for a moment to ruffle the hair on Shippo's head as he and Kirara built a sand castle, before continuing.

"Why don't you come in now, the waters great." She said nudging his arm.

"Feh." He said tapping his crossed leg with his claws. Kagome rolled her eyes. She knew he wanted to come in, it was only a matter of persuasion.

"Come on Inuyasha, please I want you to come in with me." She said giving him a genuine smile. And there it was, that smile. _Her_ smile. The smile that he loved. How could he say no to that? Inuyasha looked at her for a moment before he stood up.

"Fine." He said before taking of the top of his kimono. Then after the fire rat cloth was off he took off his white under shirt. Kagome's eyes widened at the sight of his bare chest. Sure she had seen it plenty of times before when she was dressing his wounds but this time it was different. Inuyasha noticed what she was starring at and couldn't help but smile.

"Earth to Kagome, are we going in or not?" he asked snapping his fingers in front of her face. Kagome blinked a few times then shook her head.

"Yeah." Both of them walked together into the ocean. Once they caught up with Miroku and Sango all four of them began to play games in the waves. They all were having fun together, just enjoying each other's company. It was times like this that Kagome knew she would always remember. Soon they had pretty much split into two groups; Inuyasha and Kagome, then Sango and Miroku. Both groups were doing there own thing. Kagome was trying to teach Inuyasha how to body surf while Miroku and Sango well… were just…honestly Kagome and Inuyasha had no idea what they were doing. After getting the hang of the whole body surfing thing, Inuyasha ran up to the shore and grabbed a large piece of bark that seemed to fit his body size and ran it back to Kagome.

"Hey we could use that to boogie board on." She said pointing at the soggy piece of wood in his hands.

"Well I thought that we could just float on it but if you have a better idea then lets use yours. By the way what's a boogie board?" Kagome took it out of his arms and laid her upper half on top of it and began to paddle around.

"Ok so first you lay on it look this, then you paddled up to wave. Once the wave looks close enough you turn around and paddle as fast as you can away from the wave so it will catch you." She explained. Inuyasha looked at her like he kind of got it but not really.

"It's the same as body surfing only on a board or in this case bark. Here I will show you." Kagome said as she paddled out to a wave. "1, 2, 3!" she screamed. On three she paddled as fast as she could. Soon the wave picked her and the bark up so that they were riding on the top. Once she was don't she swam back to Inuyasha. When Inuyasha saw Kagome riding like that he got all exited and the moment she got back he grabbed it from her and swam out to then next wave. Finally when he saw a good one he paddled as fast as he could until the wave caught him. Once on top on the wave he let out a loud "Whoo hoo!!" and rode it back to Kagome.

They both took turns back and fourth for a little while riding all the waves. Once again it was Inuyasha's turn. The one he chose was a big one. As he passed Kagome he grabbed her wrist and lifted her on the board with him. They only were able to ride like that for a full three seconds before tipping the board over and falling into the wave.

The wave tossed and turned them all the way up to the shore. Kagome landed with her body on top of Inuyasha. The both of them couldn't stop laughing. Both of them stopped and looked into each other's eyes. Fire and passion consumed them both as they pressed their lips together in a fiery kiss. Inuyasha grabbed Kagome's head and pulled her closer to him deepening the kiss. Kagome cupped her hands and placed them on his cheeks trying to get closer to him then she already was. Inuyasha gently licked the inside of her lips signally entrance. Kagome let him explore her mouth with his tongue. The couple stayed like that making out in the ocean's surf for about five minutes when they heard a slap.

Both of them pulled away their heads, but left their hands in place, to see Miroku with a large slap on his face. Sango rolled her eyes as Miroku got a perverted grin on his face. In a matter of seconds he lunged at her, firmly pressing his lips against hers, pulling her under the water. Inuyasha and Kagome smiled at them then back at each other. Inuyasha once again pulled Kagome's head towards his and then they continued their passionate and intense kiss. Sango and Kirara watched from the shore as both couples made out in front of him.

"Geez they need to get a room." Shippo sighed, turning back to his castle.

"Mew." Kirara agreed then followed Shippo.

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**Sorry this chapter is so long, i just didnt want to hav eto break it up in two parts. also i didnt relize that the break lines were not showing up so now i changed them so that they are. i put them in there cuz its east to under stand the story. by the way THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!!! 114!! i hope you enjoyed Chapter 20. dont worry the plot will make more sense in the up coming chapters i just thought the entire group needed a break for love ya know? well dont for get to review, look for updates 33333**

**Wolfhowler245**


	21. Kiss on the Cheek

"Kagome can you come help me please?" Shippo pleaded looking at the couple. Kagome lifted her head up to see a begging Kitsune.

"Sure Shippo, I will be there in s sec, let me rinse off." Kagome sat up, and Inuyasha reluctantly let her go rinse off in the deeper waves. He let out a large sigh as he walked up to Shippo, sitting next to him. _"Little runt…"_ Inuyasha thought. He was mad because he and Kagome were having fun on their own then Shippo had to interrupt. Oh well, I guess he would have to wait till later to continue what he and Kagome were doing. A small smirk came on to his face.

"And just what are you so happy about?" Kagome said walking up to Inuyasha.

"Nothing." He replied pulling her into his lap.

"So Shippo what did you need help with?" Kagome asked turning to face him.

"Well this wall won't stay up." He said pointing to the broken part of his sand castle. Kagome got off Inuyasha and walked over to the collapsed sand.

"Did you try using wet _and _dry sand?" Shippo shook his head. Kagome grabbed some wet and dry sand and mixed them together. She then patted it lightly on the wall. It held for a few seconds then collapsed. She tried again, this time using a little more dry sand. Once again it collapsed. The next time she had Shippo help her and used more wet sand. It held!

"Yes we got it Shippo!" She said, but before they could celebrate it collapsed. "Ugh! What's wrong with this thing!?" She yelled practically throwing sand at it in frustration.

"Kagome don't get so frustrated, its only sand remember?" Inuyasha asked sarcastically.

"Well Mr. Smarty Pants, I guess you know how to fix it then?" she asked placing her hands on her hips.

"Actually I do." He said getting up and walking over to her and Shippo. He grabbed a few small twigs that were mixed in the sand and placed them on the inside of the castle leaning against the broken wall. Then he patted down some wet sand around it. It stayed up. How could Inuyasha do it and not Kagome?

"See look, the twigs are holding it for support." He said pointing at the newly developed wall. Kagome nodded her head, understanding what he did. The three of them then continued to use this method on the remaining walls, then began to build and canal. By this time Sango and Miroku were out of the water and were lying out on the hot sand trying to dry off.

While Shippo and Kagome were finishing up the canal, Inuyasha began to build the tower. After a while he was finally done.

"Finished." He said patting the sand of his hands. Kagome turned around to see the tall tower Inuyasha had created.

"Nice job Inuyasha." She said with a smile. She looked at it again for another moment. "Shippo do you think you could get my bag for me?" Of course the kitsune gladly granted her request. Once he handed her the yellow back pack she began to dig through it.

"What are you doing?" Inuyasha asked.

"I have an idea, hold on, you'll see." Kagome said finding a small piece of paper. She began to tare and fold the edges. "Inu, can you hand me that twig next to you?" he handed it to her. She folded the edges of the paper around the twig so that it would stay attached to it. She placed the twig and paper on the very top of the tower. "There." She said proudly.

"What is it?" Inuyasha said cocking his head to the side.

"It's a flag silly." She laughed. Inuyasha loved it when he made her laugh, to see her smile, to make her happy. Something inside of him always wanted to make her happy. He couldn't explain the feeling he got when he sees he smile or why whenever she cried, he wanted to hold her in his arms and tare apart the person that made her cry in the first place.

"Kagome what's this?" Shippo asked holding up a disposable camera.

"It's a camera." she said. "I completely forgot I had that in there." Shippo gave her a confused look. "Come on Shippo, don't you remember a few months ago when I brought this from my time?" Kagome thought about it for a moment. _"That's right, the last time I used it was right before I was supposed to leave for 6 days back to my era."_

_Flash Back _

It was Kagome's 16th birthday in 2 days. She and Inuyasha had just gotten back from her era with a couple of cupcakes and a disposable camera her mother had given her. They were only gone for a few hours to get some stuff to celebrate with, like the cake and camera and a few other things. It was about dusk and the group all sat in an open field celebrating her birthday.

"Happy Birthday!" Shippo said taking a huge bite of the vanilla cake. "Wow this is great, its even better then those lolli things you bring me." He said with huge smile on his face. Inuyasha sat down with his eyes shut, his arms crossed and Tetsiaga in his lap.

"Yes, Happy Birthday Kagome." Miroku said taking a sip of his drink. Sango nodded in agreement.

"I hope it is fun." She said with a smile.

"Are you kidding? I'm surrounded with my best friends, who couldn't be happier?" she smiled. Inuyasha opened his eyes to see the smiling Kagome. He stared at her for a few minutes. _"I love it when she's happy…wait what did I say?"_ he continued to be lost in his thoughts.

"Hello? Inuyasha?" Kagome said waving a hand in front of his face. Once Inuyasha realized he zoned out he quickly turned away and blushed. Kagome just rolled her eyes and focused her attention back to the rest of her friends. A little while longer Kagome pulled out her disposable camera and showed everyone how it worked. She started to take a few pictures then let Sango, Miroku and Shippo use it. Inuyasha on the other hand was still sitting by himself, thinking about the emotions that he was feeling. _"Do I like Kagome like that, or not? But then what about Kikyo? This is all so confusing."_ He let out a small sigh.

"Why are you sitting here by yourself Inuyasha? Come join us, look at all the fun were having." Kagome said kneeling next to him and setting down the box of cupcakes she was holding.

"I'll pass." He said giving a 'keh'.

"Well if you're not going to come over there then I think that I will have to do this." She said shoving a cupcake in his face. Inuyasha gave her a slightly surprised look and Kagome returned a very proud cocky look. Inuyasha nonchalantly picked up a cupcake and tossed it up in the air, only to catch again in his hand.

"You wouldn't dare-"

"Oh ya?" he said shoving it in her face then rubbing it in. Kagome's mouth dropped open. Miroku noticed the little 'accident' and walked over. Kagome wiped the icing and smashed cake off her face and held it in her hand for a moment.

"I cant believe you did that." She said with a small giggle. She then tried to smash it Inuyasha's face but he caught her hand in the process and quickly picked up another cupcake and smashed it once again in hers. This was Miroku's chance. He took the camera and started to take pictures of the two fighting and covered in icing. He let a small laugh and walked back to Sango.

After the celebrating was done Kagome was putting her stuff away and getting ready for bed. "Only half full." She said shoving the camera in the bottom of her bag. She laid her head down and closed her eyes. _"Back to my era tomorrow."_

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The next day Kagome left in the morning around ten or so. Inuyasha went with her to help her carry some of the party stuff.

"There ya go." He said setting down the bag beside the inside stairs of the well house.

"Thanks." A few seconds there was an awkward silence.

"So you said you'd be gone for 6 days right?" Inuyasha asked trying to break the silence.

"Ya…my party is tonight and then I'm going to try and catch up on my school work."

"Ok." He said walking to the well. _"I'm surprised he's being so cool about this, usually he throws a fit if I want to back at all. Oh well."_ She thought following after him.

"Well I guess I will see you in 6 days." She said with a smile.

"Bye." He replied as she turned to leave. Something inside him sparked. "Kagome…?"

"Ya?" she said turning back to face him. He leaned down to her head and kissed the side of her cheek. "Happy Birthday." He whispered into her ear then leapt into the well. Kagome sat in shock with her hand lightly pressed against her cheek where Inuyasha had kissed it. _"His lips are so warm…"_

_End of Flash Back_

Kagome sat for a few minutes with her hand against her cheek like she did before, thinking about the memory. Inuyasha too, had been thinking about that day that seemed so long ago. _"I can't believe I kissed her cheek like that. Oh well I guess it worked out for the best, me and Kagome are together now and that's all that matters."_

"Oh yeah I remember you showing me how it worked." Shippo said taking it out of Kagome's hands and snapping a picture of Miroku rubbing Sango's butt. Then another of her slapping him, then another of the two kissing and making up. "This is fun Kagome, can I take more?"

"Of course Shippo, take all you want." Kagome said turning her attention back to the sand castle.

_(A/N: throughout the rest of the chapter Shippo will be taking pictures even if I don't mention that he is doing it.)_

Kagome was just doing the final touches when a huge wave came and caught her off guard. "Cold!" she screamed as the water rushed up on her kneeling body. After overcoming the shock of the cold water she realized that their castle was being destroyed. "Ah the castle!" she said while trying to scoop up the watery sand and place it back on the castle. Inuyasha held back his laugh.

Once the tide went back out she once again tried to repair the damaged castle. Just as she fixed a wall another big wave came to smash the wall and even more of the castle down. "Ugh! I give up!" she said throwing her arms up in the air. Inuyasha couldn't contain it any longer; he started to laugh as he helped her stand up.

"You're so cute when your frustrated." He said giving a small peck on the cheek. Kagome still had that adorable pouty look on her face. Inuyasha continued to kiss the side of her face then moved gently down to her collar bone. She giggled a little at the tickling feeling. He then continued back up to her lips.

Kagome stayed strong and kept her composure. Once Inuyasha had noticed that his girl friend wasn't kissing him back, he opened his eyes and separated from her. She smirked playfully. Inuyasha gave a confused look, cocking one eyebrow, but that didn't last long. Kagome immediately pounced on him, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him passionately. He wrapped his arms around her waist and swung her around in a circle, then lightly set her back on the ground. The sunset was glowing perfectly behind them, setting just the right mood. The two unlocked their lips and starred deeply into each other's eyes. They parted and held hands as they walked back to Miroku and Sango.

The sun continued to go down and the breeze soon became chilly. The girls sat shivering in their wet bathing suits.

"You guys cold?" asked Miroku.

"Is it that obvious?" Sango replied sarcastically with a smile. "Come on Kagome lets go change." She reached and grabbed Kagome's hand and began to walk toward the large rock they hid behind before. "Be right back." Stumbling, Kagome was able to grab her back pack before Sango dragged her away.

"So how are you and Inuyasha, I saw you guys today. You didn't leave each other once." Sango asked with slight cunning in her voice.

"Were fine." She picked up Sango's clothing and threw it at her. "And what about Miroku and you?" she smirked. Sango just blushed.

"Were good I guess." A huge smile came on her face as she recalled their fun moments they had that day.

"Well I guess we should get back to the boys, its getting late." Kagome said putting on her shirt.

"Yea we should, we will continue this conversation later." Both of the girls walked back and sat around the fire. A few minutes later Kagome laid her head down in Inuyasha's lap and began to look at the somewhat visible stars. The sun was no longer visible but the sky still had light in it, making the stars look like they were fading. The soft cooing sound of her breathing soothed Inuyasha's ears as Kagome soon fell asleep. Inuyasha then glanced over at Miroku. Sango was leaned up against his shoulder, also sleeping.

"I guess it was a long day." Miroku laughed. Inuyasha nodded and looked down at Kagome's sleeping form and watched as she slept.

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"I think they have had enough fun, don't you think Mauro?" Naraku asked evilly. Mauro smirked and laughed,

"I think its time we show them what a 'fun time' really is." Naraku laughed as he watched the sleeping form of Kagome and Inuyasha through Kanna's mirror.

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**Authors Note: let me just say im really REALLY sorry for the not updating for a while. You can yell at me if you want. Anyways the next chapter a little of Naraku's plan will unfold. **


	22. Wrapped around your Finger

Mauro held the family portrait in his hand. With the other he scratched the bottom of his chin, deep in thought. He hadn't come up with the all the details to his plan yet. He sat there staring at the happy family in the picture. The light from the candle reflected off the photo's glossy surface. He starred for a moment longer when an idea popped into his head. A smirk grew on his face as he blew out the candle, sending a wave of smoke through the darkness. "Perfect…" he muttered to himself and began to set his plans in motion.

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"Ouch."

"It wouldn't hurt so badly if you would hold still." Kagome said rolling her eyes at Miroku, while applying some more sun screen. "I told you to put this on yesterday." She said rubbing the lotion like substance onto his bright red, sun burnt shoulders. "There, you're done." Kagome closed the cap and placed the bottle back in her bag. The cooling sensation begun to take over and his shoulder's began to feel better.

"Thank you." Miroku said pulling the top of his robes back on.

"Are you ready to go yet?" Inuyasha asked impatiently. Kagome finished gathering her things and stood up with her bag on her back.

"Yep." She said happily.

"Good." The entire day Inuyasha seemed more and more irritable, well at least more then usual. They continued to walk along the country side, in search for any sign of the shikon shards and little by little his patience grew thin.

"Inuyasha do you think we could take a break, my feet are killing me." Miroku asked giving a tired sigh.

"No we can't stop, we have to keep going." Inuyasha replied keeping his arms in a crossed position.

"Come on, please." Sango and Shippo begged.

"I said NO!" he yelled back at them. The entire group, especially Kagome, all jumped back a little in surprise. What was it that had been bugging Inuyasha all day? Kagome walked up to him a put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Inuyasha, we're not like you, we're tired, can't we just stop for a few minutes?" Kagome asked, looking straight into his eyes.

"Ya know what I'm sick of you guys complaining all the time. Just take your damn break and get it over with." He said storming off in the opposite direction. Kagome glanced back at Sango and nodded her head, letting her know that she was going to go talk with Inuyasha.

"Hey what was all that about?" she asked finally catching up to him. He ignored her. "Hey I'm talking to you ya know?" she asked running in front of him. He gave a 'Feh' and turned his head away from her.

"What's up with you? Please, talk to me." She pleaded, once again looking into his eyes. He couldn't tell her the reason why he was acting that way. _"I mean it was only a dream right?" _he thought to himself. Most of the dream was a blur to him, he only remembered certain parts or people; like Naraku and Kikyo. He remembered them in the dream but most of all he remembered the end. Kagome was lying in his arms, her pale, fragile body cold. There was a slight trail of blood seeping from her mouth and running down her chin. Her eyes were fixed upon his and they held tears in them. "I…love you…" was the last thing she said before he woke up in a cold sweat.

He looked back at her pleading and curious eyes, knowing that she yearned for an answer from him.

"Kagome, I don't think I can take any more of this."

"Any more of what?" she asked confused.

"This. You think you have me wrapped around your little finger, you think you can get me to do anything you want, but you can't." He said coldly.

"Inuyasha I don't think that way at all-"

"I'm not one to be bossed around, I don't take orders from anyone, especially not you!" he didn't mean to say it like that, it just came out. Kagome looked at him surprised and hurt all at the same time. She bit her bottom lip to stop it from quivering as the tears swelled up in her eyes. Inuyasha never yells at her like that.

"Fine." Was all she said before walking away. Inuyasha didn't follow her; he stood in the same place, in the same position, thinking about what he said to her. As the minutes passed the guilt in the pit of his stomach grew larger and larger. Finally his arms dropped to his sides and his ears lowered on the top of his head, knowing that he had no reason to say those things to her.

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Kagome walked back to the rest of her friends. She wiped away the tear on her cheek with her sleeve as she walked back up to Sango and Miroku calmly and grabbed her things. "Let's go."

"What about Inuyasha?" Shippo asked curiously.

"He'll catch up." She replied in a monotone. As soon as Inuyasha caught up with them, Kagome fell silent. Inuyasha stayed quiet as he did before.

"I think something happened between them." Sango whispered to Miroku and Shippo. Both nodded their heads in agreement. It had been a few hours and Kagome nor Inuyasha had spoken to anyone. Kagome walked along the dirt road listening to the quiet chatter of her friends. She kept her eyes fixed to the ground, kicking a small pebble as she walked.

"Kagome I-" he tried to apologize.

"Inuyasha save it, I don't feel like giving you 'orders' right now." She said harshly and turned her attention back toward her pebble. Inuyasha watched as Kagome kicked the small rock, anger slowly growing inside him. If Kagome wasn't going to accept his apology then fine, so be it. Why should he even try if she isn't even going to give him the time of day?

"Fine if you won't give me a chance to explain and you don't want to talk to me, then maybe you should just go back home!" Inuyasha snapped. Kagome just looked up at him, with disappointment in her eyes. She slightly shook her head back and forth before dropping it back down, returning her gaze to the ground.

"Alright, I'll go." She said sadly walking toward Sango. Inuyasha's anger soon turned to confusion_. "She didn't yell back? She didn't even try to 'sit' me."_ He wondered looking at the disappointed Kagome. _"And why the hell did she give me that look?"_

Kagome bent down to the little furry form of Kirara. "Do you think you could give me a ride back to the well?" she stood up and faced Sango. "That is if you don't mind Sango." Sango nodded and Kirara transformed into her larger form. Kagome jumped on her back and held on tight as Kirara lifted her up into the air. "Thanks." She said flying off into the distance.

Inuyasha was stunned. _"She left? She left without saying a single goodbye?" _he must have really upset her to make her leave like that. He stood there for about ten minutes thinking about what just occurred. Usually she yells or 'sits' him, but this time was different. This time she just _looked_ at him and left.

"Inuyasha how long is it going to be before you go say sorry to her?" the little Shippo asked. Inuyasha just pushed him off his shoulder and walked passed Sango and Miroku, toward the way Kagome went. Miroku and Sango both gave each other confused glances before looking back at Inuyasha.

"Well are you guys going to just stand there like idiots, or are you going to come with me to find Kagome?" he asked irritated as he kept walking. Sango and Miroku both sighed as they followed after him. Shippo soon got off the ground and ran after them.

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"Kaede you there?" Kagome asked walking into the small, wooden hut.

"Yes child, I'm in the back. I will be out in a few minutes." She replied through a straw curtain. Kagome sat down in front of the fire, watching the tea kettle release steam from the boiling water it held inside. Kaede walked up to her and sat down while finishing wiping her hands off with a cloth.

"What is it ye needed?"

"I just wanted to give you these." She said placing her medical box in front of the old women. "Inuyasha and the others should be coming back here in a few days, and if they come to you, please give these to them. If they get hurt while I'm gone, I'm sure these will be useful." Kagome stood up and began to walk out the door.

"Where are ye going, if I might ask?" Kaede asked curiously.

"Home I guess, that's the only place I can go at the moment." She said with more disappointment then excitement.

"Well if you don't want to go there, you can always stay at the village with me, for a few days." She gave Kagome a smile. Kagome thought about the offer for a moment. _"Well it took me a few hours to get here with Kirara, so if Inuyasha and the others are traveling by foot they should be here tomorrow. That gives me a little time, I guess."_ She knew Inuyasha would come to apologize soon. She smiled and nodded.

"Ok, now that's settled, why don't you tell me what happened between ye and Inuyasha?" Kagome sat back down and began to tell her about Inuyasha's strange behavior. Kirara sat curled up next to Kagome and listened to the two women chatter.

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"Kagome would you please come here." Kaede called from inside the hut. Kagome was still out side while Kaede finished treating a patient. Kagome graciously walked back and went to Kaede's side. "Kagome, this might take awhile why don't you go take the children and entertain them." Kagome looked to her left and saw three small kids kneeling down in the corner. She nodded in agreement. "Before you go, come with me outside." Kaede grabbed some clothes on the floor then stood up and lead Kagome out side. Once the two were in the alone Kaede explained the situation to her.

"The woman is very ill, there's and fifty/fifty chance she will live." Kaede said sadly. "Those are her children out there." Kagome glanced through a small slit in the straw curtain and watched the children sit over their sick mother as Kaede continued to talk. "I want you to play with them and try to take their mind off of their mother, understand?" kagome nodded.

"Oh by the way, you might want to change into these, that way you wont get any strange looks from the villagers." She said while offering her some folded white and red robes. Kagome gladly took them and went behind the hut to change. Once she was done she walked back to the hut and stopped in the door way.

"Why don't you children come with me, I would really appreciate your help picking some flowers for your mom? Then maybe we can play a game." Kagome said with as much sweetness and happiness she could. The three children all looked up at her with worry clearly written in their eyes. The oldest was a little boy around the age of eight. He had short ruffled black hair and sweet brown eyes. The 2nd oldest was a little girl about six, she looked much like her brother but her hair was much longer, and went down to the middle of her back. The youngest was about two or three. She had brown curly hair and big brown eyes. The three of them followed her out and kept following closely through the village.

"Oh I almost forgot," Kagome stopped and looked at them. "What are your names?" At first they were silent, that is until the little boy spoke up.

"My name is Kye," then the little girl with long hair interrupted. "and I'm Lyn." She said proudly. Kagome bent down to their level and looked at the littlest child. "and what's your name?" she asked cheerfully. The little girl hid behind her brother, only poking her head enough to see. "That's Tamari." Lyn pointed. _"Aw she's shy!"_ Kagome giggled to herself as she watched the little girl hide behind her brother more.

"Well let us go then." She said as she began to lead the children to the meadow. It only took about ten minutes for the two older children to warm up to her, but the little one just kept close to her brother. Finally Kye got her to go talk to Kagome. Kagome was bent down in the middle of the field, the wind chasing her hair up into the air, when there was a small tug on the back of her shirt. Kagome turned around to meet curious brown eyes. Tamari held out her hand to Kagome, in it was a small yellow daisy. Kagome took it gently from her hand and placed it in her own raven hair, tucking it behind her ear, the little girl smiled at her and gave her a tight, swift hug. At first Kagome was a little surprised, but then she gradually hugged her back.

With in a few hours they had gathered a whole basket full of different assorted flowers. The sun was just setting as the group sat the middle of the field. Kagome was braiding flowers in Lyn's hair, while Tamari and Kye were running around chasing each other and throwing petals at Kagome and Lyn as they ran circles around them. By the time they left, Lyn's hair was braided in two braids with different flowers weaved into them, Tamari had a beautiful crown of yellow daisy's around the top of her head and Kye was proudly marching in front of them caring the over flowing basket of flowers.

"Follow me!" he said in a marching stance. Tamari tried to copy what he was doing, even trying to take the same large sized steps as him. Kagome held Lyn's hand as the walked behind the two, giggling as the watched the serious look on Tamari's face turn to one of laughter.

As Kagome walked through the streets with the children she could hear the villagers whisper about her. At first the comments made Kagome happy, then they started to sound more like an insult then a compliment.

"_Look at Kagome, she has really grown since the first time we saw her." _

"_Yes but she looks so much like Kikyo, now that I mention it I wonder what ever happened between her and that half demon, Inuyasha?" _

"_Your right, what did ever happen to our Kikyo and Inuyasha? I heard they were back together." _

After that comment Kagome just tuned them out and paid all her attention back to the kids.

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"Come on Inuyasha, cant we slow down just a little? We have been doing double time ever since we took our break." Shippo wined as he ran along side Sango, Miroku and Inuyasha_. "That's true Inuyasha has seem a little more eager to get to Kagome since then."_ Miroku thought looking at Inuyasha.

_Flash Back _

"It's only been 2 hours since we left after Kagome; you guys really need a break already?" Sango and Miroku could have easily gone on longer; it was just they waned to give Kagome a little more time to cool off; she seemed really hurt this time. "Fine but only for a little while, I wanna be there by tomorrow afternoon." With that Inuyasha leapt into the tallest branch of the tree his friends sat under.

"Inuyasha's right ya know, we shouldn't stop so much." Miroku said between sips of water.

"I know I just want to give Kagome a little more time to calm down." Sango explained remembering the look Kagome had on her face when she left.

"Inuyasha starred at the clouds for a moment before shutting his eyes. He decided that a fifteen minute cat nap wouldn't hurt; after all he didn't get much sleep last night. A few moments after his eyes closed he began to dream…

"_It's so dark in here, I can't see anything." Inuyasha said looking around for any sign of light. He looked over to see that the corner of the room was lit up. He squinted his eyes and could see that someone in white and red robes was lying still on the floor. "Is that Kikyo?" he walked cautiously up the figure. Taking a deeper look he noticed that it wasn't Kikyo, but Kagome. "Kagome!" he quickly kneeled down and picked up her cold body, shaking it lightly. "Wake up, please wake up!" he panicked. _

"_Inu…yasha?" her warm eyes fluttered only half open. "Yes Kagome, its me, I'm here." She took a deep breath before coughing. A slight trail of blood seeped from the side of her mouth, running down her chin. "I'm sorry," she gave a weak smile before continuing. "I…I…love you…" with that her eyes shut. Inuyasha tried to shake her to wake up but she wouldn't. _

"_Do you see how pathetic she looks now? This is what is going to happen to her when I come." An unfamiliar voice laughed. _

"_No I won't let you!" Inuyasha yelled back, clutching onto Kagome's body tighter. A few seconds later her body slowly disappeared in his arms. "Kagome?...Where did she go?". _

"_I'm coming for her Inuyasha and there's nothing that you can do about it." _

Inuyasha woke up, sweat forming at the top of his head. _"That damn dream again!"_ He immediately jumped down to Miroku and Sango. "Were leaving, NOW!" Inuyasha yelled and started to run toward the village.

_End of Flash Back _

**let me just say that i am truly sorry for not updating. i kno the past few chapters its taken me a while to update. i do admit that some of it was my fauly but i had other problems like finals. geez am i happy those are over. lol. i really hope you like this chapter and i can forgive me. the next chapter, inuyasha will show up and we will finally figure out what Mauro is going to do with Kagome's picture. (either the next ch or the one after i promise!) thnx for reading i look forward to you comments :D**


	23. Kye's Story

"Oh look at that!" Lyn said pointing to a tall building that sat on top of the small hill a few feet away from them. "It's the new tea house! They are supposed to serve the best tasting tea there!"

Kagome watched as all the children's faces grew brighter as they looked at the elegant tea house before them. "Have you guys ever been there?" she asked them.

"No, we don't have the money for those kinds of things." Kye said with sadness.

"Me either. Well then, lets go." All three children looked up at with questioning eyes, but when she began to lead them up the dirt path they forgot about that, and began to get exited. Once t he party was inside Kagome immediately walked up to the small counter.

"Four cups of your best tea, please." When the lady told her the total, Kagome sweat dropped.

"Is there something wrong miss?"

"No, nothing at all." Kagome replied and began to fumble with the money she had put in her Kimono earlier_. "I'm sure the guys wont mind, after all this was for a good cause."_ She mentally prayed as she spread the money onto the counter. "Is this too much?"

"No its actually just enough." The lady said with glee. Kagome stood in the same place, her eye twitching as she thought about what just happened. "_That was all of our money we had left. This better be some freaking good tea!"_ she thought about Inuyasha, Miroku and Sango's face when she told them that they were broke, because she spent it on some tea in the village. When she pictured their reactions, she fell over anime style.

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"_Almost there!"_ Inuyasha mentally thought, still running toward Kaede's village. _"Only about another hour and we'll be there."_

Shippo sighed as he sat on Miroku's shoulder. Miroku replied with a even larger, more tired, sigh.

"Would you two stop doing that, its getting on my nerves!" Inuyasha yelled from up ahead.

"Well if were bugging you, why don't you go ahead and we'll catch up!" Miroku yelled back. Surprisingly Inuyasha agreed to that. Miroku only meant it as sarcasm, but I worked out for all of them instead. _"Without having to worry about them, I can get to Kagome faster." _

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"So Kye, where's your father?" the moment the word 'father' came out of Kagome's mouth Kye's happy smile turned to a frown and he immediately stopped drinking his tea, setting it down on the bench seat next to him.

"He's gone." Lyn saw the angry look in her brother's face and took Tamari away to play. Although she was young she knew exactly what they were talking about. He took a long pause before bawling his fists at his side. "He left us. Momma and me and Lyn and even little Tamari." Tears began to well up inside his eyes.

"Kye…"

"We used to be happy. Just a happy little family. I remember momma, she used to be so happy when he was around her. And me, father used to take me fishing with him to catch dinner. Lyn always used to beg to come with us but father would always tell her that it was a special time for him and me to do stuff together, and that maybe when she was older he would find something that was special, to do with her." A small smile crept onto his face as he remembered the happy memories he had with his father.

That small smile soon faded away as he continued. "Then one day it all changed…"

_Flash Back _

Kye rubbed his eyes, trying to wake them up from sleep. He walked to where his mother was cooking dinner.

"Good morning dear." She said sweetly. Kye looked curiously for his father.

"Where's father?"

"He left to go fishing already, you looked so tired that he thought he'd let you sleep in." Kye stood up and went in search for his father. After being about a mile away from the village he noticed something strange in the sky. Instead of its normal sky blue, it was dark. He turned around to see the village on fire, demons chasing the innocent people around like a game of cat and mouse. He looked toward the left and saw that his family's house was now on fire too. "Mamma…"

He took off in a full blown bolt down to aid his family. Once he got there he could hear the frightened screams of his mother and sisters. He ran inside to try and find them. He soon found Lyn huddled up in the corner and grabbed her hand, leading her outside. After checking to make sure she was ok, Kye ran back inside to get his mother and Tamari out. By the time he had found them the entire hut was consumed in fire.

"Mother, it's me Kye." He said trying to get a glimpse of his mother through the thick smoke.

"Listen to me, take Tamari and get out of here. I will follow behind you." He nodded his head and took the bundled 1 year old out of her hands. The moment he had her safely cradled in his arms a beam from the roof fell down blocking the way out for his mother.

"Mother!" he screamed.

"Leave now, take Tamari and leave!" she ordered.

"No, I'm not leaving you!"

"Kye, listen to your mother, go!" Kye turned around to see his father standing proudly behind him. He gave him an encouraging smile.

"Hinta…" Kye's mother sighed in relief knowing that her husband was safe.

"Father promise me that you will come out, promise me that you will survive." The young boy pleaded.

"I promise."

_End of Flash Back_

"He managed to get my mother out safely but…" the tears rolled softly down his cheeks. "But…but…he didn't make it." He took a pause and a deep breath before screaming, "He promised!! He promised me!" he screamed, the tears now pouring from his eyes. Kagome placed her arms delicately around his shoulders trying to comfort him. "He lied…"

When Kye said that a sudden flash back came back into her head, a memory of when she was just a little girl. _"He lied…"_ Kagome's eyes widened in shock.

"_Its just like what happened-"_ she was cut off her thoughts by Tamari's cries. Quickly snapping back to reality she told Kye that she'd be right back and ran over to Lyn. Sitting on the floor, wailing was Tamari. "What happened?"

"She tripped and fell over on her knees." Lyn stated all too regularly as she walked away toward her brother. Kagome bent down and sat with Tamari until he cries calmed down a little. Kagome stood her up and brushed the dirt off her then examined her hurt knee. On her knee was a small red scratch, not even deep enough to even bleed, but to a two year old, it was the end of the world. Kagome brushed the dirt away lightly then gave it a small kiss with her lips.

"You see, all better." Kagome smiled, while Tamari used the back of her hand to wipe away the remaining tears. Once that was settled Kagome walked back over to the other two children. When she looked at Kye, it seemed as if his small emotional break down never even happened, the only hit left was that his eyes were still tinted pink from crying.

Finishing up their tea, the four of them walked back to Kaede's. "Thanks for the tea Kagome." They all smiled, Tamari simply nodded in response.

"Why don't you guys wait out here for a minute while I go check up on your mom?" Kagome said sweetly patting the little boy's head. She turned her body around, but her eyes stayed fixed on the children until she was completely inside the hut. "How is she Kaede?"

"Where are the children?" she said continuing cleaning up some of the herbs that were lying on the floor.

"Outside, why?" Kaede just turned to Kagome and gave her a sad look and a tired sigh. Kagome now realized what that look meant and started to lightly shake her head in disbelief. "What's wrong with her?"

"She is very ill and needs medicine right now, if she takes it she will be well enough to go home in a few hours, but if she doesn't then she will die."

"No that can't be."

"There is nothing more I can do. She has just lost the will to live and won't let me continue the treatment." Kaede sighed while going into the back room of the hut. Kagome sat on the wooden floor, staring at the dying woman. Her face was pale and her hair was tied up in a messy bun with the loose strands sticking to her sweaty face. Kagome started to push them away as images of the children flashed in her head. Deciding to wipe the sweat away, Kagome tied back her hair and reached for a wet cloth, dabbing lightly on her forehead. The more she thought of the children, the more upset and angry she got. Soon it was more then she could take.

"Are you just going to give up!?" Kagome screamed. "Are you just going to stop fighting!? You made this far, why can't you make it til the end?" Tears welled In Kagome's eyes, remembering how Kye's father died. "This is about Hinta, isn't it? That's why you giving up?"

The women's eyes blinked open, and she used all of her strength to turn her head towards Kagome. "What… would you… know… about it?" She said harshly.

"I know that you have three wonderful children standing right out that door. Don't you think their worth living for?" kagome said in a softer tone then before. The women glanced behind Kagome and looked at the grass curtain door. She could hear the laughter of her children in the back of her head. She turned back to stare at the ceiling and closed her eyes as pictures of her three children and husband flashed in her mind. When she opened them tears fell silently down the sides of her temples landing on the soft pillow underneath her.

"Its…It's…just so hard to go on…with out him." She whispered, closing her eyes once more.

"They have already lost their father, don't make them loose their mother too." The women gave a soft smile and told Kagome to get Kaede.

"Kaede, I'm sorry for your trouble but I would like the medicine now." Kagome smiled and a tear of happiness ran down her cheek. _"She's not giving up, she's going to live!" _Kagome quickly stood up and ran out to the children. She lead them to a few feet away from the edge of the forest, so that not to disturb Kaede and their mother.

"How's momma?" Lyn asked curiously, yet worried.

"She's fine. She's going to make a full recovery." All three children gave the hugest smile Kagome had ever seen, right before they all tackled her with hugs. Kagome stood with the children clinging to her legs for a few minutes as she smiled to herself.

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**A/N: yes i know i just updated yesterday but i got really bored and didnt feel like cleaning my room (hehehe --) so i wrote this chpater instead. i must warn you though, since i wrote it so soon the next one might not be up as soon as this one was. it might take some time. there is hope though, i have already written a couple of paragraphs for the next one so it shouldnt be too long till the next update. anyways i hoped you liked this chapter. thnx for all your reviews :D**


	24. A Hint Of Doubt

"She's going to make a full recovery." He heard a faint voice about a mile away. _"Who's that, I can't make it out?"_ he ran faster to see whose voice it was.

He slowed down once he could see a figure through the branches. She had her back to him, and her black hair was loosely tied up in the back. She turned around to her side when she heard the rustle of branches. There, she saw him; his silver hair and red robe was easily seen through the thick forest. She knew exactly who it was.

"Inuyasha?" she whispered to herself.

He stepped out of the forest a starred at the person in front of him. All he noticed was the red and white priestess robes she had on and the three children that clung to her legs. A memory flashed in his mind of fifty years ago, to a time when him and Kikyo were together. He pictured her playing with the children of the village again and him watching over her some where near by, ready to jump at any sign of danger. "Kikyo?" Inuyasha asked still thinking about what his mind was showing him.

Kagome's happy face turned to a sad one as she quickly turned back around. _"I hate it when people call me that. Don't they realize the difference between us?"_ A small tear ran down her cheek but she wiped it away almost as fast as it had fallen. The children by then had let go and were starring oddly at the man in front of him, but Kye looked up at Kagome and saw the tears that she had tried so hard to hide.

"You! Who are you and why did you make Lady Kagome cry?" Kye asked angry. He wasn't about to let some stranger make his new friend upset, no way was that happening.

"…Kagome!?" He had now realized the mistake he had made. As looked at her more carefully and took in her scent he could clearly see that it was Kagome and not Kikyo. "I...It's just at first glance….with those clothes and the children…I thought…"

"I know exactly what you thought." She replied harshly. Taking a moment to calm herself, she turned around to face him.

"Tell me Inuyasha, how long are you going to mistake me for Kikyo? Please, I want to know how long I will be burdened with living in her shadow and living as her 'copy'?"

"Kagome you know that's not how I feel. You're not her copy and you know it. It was just a simple mistake, something when I looked at you brought something up from the past, that's all." He said in all honesty.

"That's all!? So when you look at me, something from the 'past' makes you see Kikyo. So when you kiss me, what 'feelings from the past' do you start to feel?"

"Kagome this is ridiculous."

"Fine your right, I shouldn't try to talk to you about this, I wouldn't want you to think I'm _'making'_ you do anything you don't want to. " she said turning back around and leading the children back to Kaede's. Inuyasha's anger began to grow which made him forget all about the reason he had rushed here in the first place.

"Damnit Kagome! Talk to me!" he yelled.

"NO! I have to take the children back right now so this is going to have to wait till later!" She said giving him one last angry glance. He watched as her figure became smaller and smaller until she was far enough away that she blended in with the crowd.

"Why is she so sensitive about this? Why does she care so much, she knows I love her…right?" he sat down next to a tree to think about this for a moment. "She must know that I love her, haven't I proven that yet?" he closed his eyes still wondering why he thought of Kikyo and not Kagome earlier._ "I don't still having feelings for Kikyo do I?" _so many questions were racing through his head; Inuyasha really didn't know what he thought any more. He looked up at the sunset, watching as the last part of the sun drifted behind the horizon. Deciding to think about this a little more he got up and began to walk unknowingly around the village.

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"Kagome why did that man make you upset?" Tamari asked kind of worried. Kagome softly sighed but put on a small smile so to comfort the children.

"Its nothing to worry about he's just a…friend…that's all."

"Well if he's just a _friend_ why did he make you cry?" Asked Kye, he was still a bit angry at Inuyasha for making Kagome upset.

"Kye, it's…complicated. It's nothing you three should worry about. Anyways Kaede asked me to bring you back to your house. Your mother has to stay there for the night but she should be able to return home tomorrow morning." Kagome said trying to change the subject. The children all nodded an 'ok' and decided to talk about something else.

"Hey Kagome do you think you could help me set up the bed?" Lyn asked holding up a large blanket.

"Sure thing." Kagome smiled, but the moment she stood up a sharp pain went through her head, making her stop dead in her tracks.

"Kagome are you alright?" Kye and Lyn both asked after a minute of Kagome still standing in the same position with a clear expression of pain written on her face.

Decided it would be best not to worry the children more, she decided to leave. "Kye, listen I'm fine, it's just…I need a moment. I think I will go on a walk, I will be back soon, watch over your sisters." And before the children could say another word, she was out the door.

"_What's with these headaches?" _she thought to herself walking away from the hut. _"Each time I get one they keep getting worse. What could be wrong with me?"_ she held one hand over her forehead as she walked. Minutes passed and things still didn't change, if anything, the throbbing was getting worse.

Kagome looked up from her gaze on the road to see a woman standing about seven feet away from her. She had long white socks on that went up to the middle of her shins and a white apron on that covered up her brown skirt. Her hair was short and wavy and her skin tone matched perfectly with the yellow button-up sweater she was wearing. The women turned to face Kagome and Kagome's eyes went wide. Could this really be the person she thought it was?

"Kagome dear, would you like me to make you and your friends some lunches?" the women said while smiling sweetly. At first Kagome didn't know what to say.

"…m-mom?" Kagome couldn't believe that her mother was here in the feudal era, wearing only socks nonetheless. So many questions were running through her head that she didn't know what to ask first.

"Oh, do you not want lunch? Well then how about I heat up a nice warm bath for you, that way you can be well rested why you are here."

"Here?" all the sudden Kagome looked around and she was back in her room, in her era. "What? How could this be?"

"How could what be dear?" her mother asked sweetly. Kagome looked around still confused. _"Was it all a dream…Kye, Lyn, Tamari, the village? Could I have really imagined all that?" _

"Mom, when did I come back here?"

"You haven't left. Not since you and Inuyasha came here together." She said smiling. _"What? But that was so long ago…or at least I thought it was…"_ Kagome had a really confused look on her face. She walked to her bedroom door and slightly opened it, she looked down the hall to the edge of the stairs; there sat Inuyasha, patiently waiting. He looked up when he felt eyes on him.

"You ok Kagome?"

"_This is impossible. I couldn't have imagined all that happened since I left. No, I remember everything with Mauro and Miroku and Sango getting together and I remember the beach and children."_ After that thought, another sharp pain ran through her body. Falling down to her knees she looked up and was back in the feudal era with her splitting headache. She looked to her side and saw an old stone bench sitting behind a few trees.

"I need to sit down…" she slowly walked over to it and let her body relax once she had taken a comfortable seat. _"That was so weird I could've sworn that I was back home for a second..."_ Deciding that all this confusion wasn't going to help her headache she laid down on the cold bench. _"I hope this helps."_ She silently prayed.

Another several minutes passed and she could feel the pressure in her head began to let up; she was even able open her eyes and looks around. To the left of her she saw a beautiful hill with long grass and pretty white flowers scattered randomly among its self. _"That would be a perfect spot to lie on the grass and look up at the stars…"_

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Pretty soon Inuyasha ended up at Kikyo's grave. He looked over his shoulder twice to check if anyone was near by, once it was clear he jumped up the small hill, towards the little shrine. Inuyasha starred down at the cold grave if front of him. Kikyo's name was clearly etched in the stone. More memories flowed inside his head of times that happened fifty years ago.

Unknown to Inuyasha, Kagome saw him wander up there, she even saw him check to see if anyone was around. She had walked up after him right after he leaped up there. She watched a few feet away behind him, standing behind one of the big willow trees. Kagome's smile was comforting and understanding, but her eyes were sad. _"He doesn't have to sneak around like this, he could just tell me. I don't blame him for coming up here; it's completely understandable; I just wish he would have a little more faith in me."_ By then she had completely forgot about what was left of her headache. She paused and glanced at him one last time, then turned around to go check on the children. _"I guess his doesn't trust me enough…"_

Inuyasha sat in front of the gravestone for a long time, wandering about a question that had been lingering in the back of his head for sometime now_. "Me and Kagome have been fighting a lot lately…"_ Giving one last sad smile at the grave he got up and went to find Kagome, hoping that she was done being busy so he could talk to her. He walked past the big willow, thinking that he smelt Kagome's scent, but he let it go; his mind was way to far off in other places to focus on that.

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**You guys probably hate me now, I don't blame you. I did try and update but I had severe writers block, well I guess you wouldn't call it that but I was so unsure of how I was going to write this chapter. I know this one is a little shorter then the couple of previous ones but bare with me, I currently have two pages done of the next chapter and PROMISE to update sometime this week. After all spring break starts on Thursday so I should have plenty of time then. (thank goodness spring break is here, I thought school was gonna kill me) anyways ive got to continue with the next chapter. Enjoy. **


	25. Phase Two of Mauro's Powers

**A/N:** later on in the chapter there will a **bold** part and a unbold part. the reason for that it to express two different sides of inuyasha.  
**bold: evil or fake inuyasha  
**unbold: the real inuyasha

also there is a part with sentances in this **EX:** **-'** abcdefghijklmnop** '-** when the sentance has these around it, it means its mauro's voice thats inside kagome.

you will understand later, once you read it. anyways i have no excuse for this late chapter. i know im a horrible person for making you wait and i am really sorry. hopefully once school ends (which is soon, thank goodness) i will be able to write more.

Anyways i hope you like this chapter and if its confusing dont be afraid to ask :p

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Inuyasha finally found her in an old run down hut. He could see from the window that there was a small candle burning inside, lighting up the room a little. He walked up to the window and peered inside. He saw three small children cuddled up in a bed and Kagome kneeling down next them, rubbing their backs and telling them a story. 

"And the courageous half-demon and the human priestess lived happily ever after…" she finished.

"_Was she talking about us?"_ Inuyasha wondered.

"Good night children." Kagome said giving them small kisses on their foreheads and tucking the covers up so they'd be warm.

"Good night." All three said at the same time. Inuyasha watched as she blew out the candle, he looked away from the window and leaned up against the side of the building.

He stood their waiting for her as he thought about the time when he and Kikyo had taken their boat trip; when they shared their first kiss. His and Kikyo's first kiss was so exiting and unknown. But when he thought about his and Kagome's first kiss, he remembered the feeling of desire, such longing and passion that was created in that one moment. Inuyasha thought about many things as he watched her leave; like the times she had seen him and Kikyo together, but even though he had betrayed her so many times, she would always forgive him.

Or the times when he had turned full demon, and at the risk of her own life, got him to come back to his old self. Kagome was so kind and caring, she was so, so…_special_, defiantly not like any other women he had met. He thought a little more on the subject then the dream he had the other day popped into his head and this feeling of worry and sadness filled with in his heart. It was that feeling that pushed him back into reality and realized what an idiot he was for even thinking about Kikyo.

Kagome came out and walked past the hut, toward where she last saw Inuyasha. "Was that about us?" the voice made her jump a little. She turned around to see Inuyasha walking out of shadows. She smiled at him, hoping not to answer that question. But he asked again.

"Was that story you told the children about us?" he asked a little more persistent. Dropping her smile, she turned away toward the road.

"No." was all she said as she began to walk away. Inuyasha paused for a few seconds before stopping her.

"Then who was it about?" Kagome really didn't want to answer that question.

"It was just a story Inuyasha, nothing to dwell on." She replied trying to change the subject.

"No, Kagome I want to know who it was about." Why wasn't she telling him?

Glancing back at him she replied, "Fine you really want to know; it was about Kikyo…" she paused. "…and you…" she turned back around and her head sank a little. Inuyasha walked in front of her and put his hands on her shoulders. She moved her head up just enough to see him.

"Sorry," Was all he said. She stayed silent. "About what I said yesterday, I was just ticked off because of this dream-"

"Forget it, its ok." She cut him off and continued walking past him. Inuyasha was starting to get slightly angry that she kept walking away from him like this.

"Kagome would you stop walking away from me, I'm trying to tell you the reason I rushed here!" She stopped and thought about what had happened earlier.

"_Kikyo?" _

_Kagome's happy face turned to a sad one as she quickly turned around. "I hate it when people call me that. Don't they realize the difference between us?" A small tear ran down her cheek but she wiped it away almost as fast as it had fallen._

Shaking her head slightly she turned her head to him. "I know the reason; you don't have to explain anything."

"You do?" he asked confused. _"But how could she, I never mentioned the nightmare to anyone." _

"Yea, I do. I know that you went to see Kikyo's grave and that you tried to do it behind my back." She said not moving.

"So what does that have to do with anything?" he thought for a moment as the pieces started to come together. "You don't think that I'm still in love with Kikyo do you?"

"I don't know what I think anymore, things lately are just so confusing." She replied dropping her gaze to the floor. The small hypnotic voice came into her head. _-'That's right Kagome; Inuyasha is still in love with Kikyo. He's trying to deceive you.'-_

"I admit that I went to see her grave ok? But that doesn't mean that I'm in love with her." Inuyasha said deciding it better not to tell her the doubtful thought he had been having.

"Well if you're not in love with her, then why did you sneak around behind my back to visit it?"

"I…I…"

"What? Did you think I wouldn't understand?" –'That's good Kagome get angry'-. "Could you not confide in me to tell me that you missed her?" _-'Yes! Yes, more anger!'-_. "Or was it that you couldn't trust me?"

"It wasn't like that. I…I just needed time to think." He replied. "Kagome you have to believe me when I say that I really do care about you." Inuyasha finished as he walked up behind her.

_-'Lies! Lies I tell you!'-_ The eerie voice shouted.

Slowly the pain in her head began to return. "How do I know that Inuyasha? How do I know that you care for me?" _"What am I saying? He's proven to me numerous times that he loves me…"_

Taking a small breath he answered her question. "Kagome I've told you this before, I love you. I have never met anyone so thoughtful and kind as you are. If anything were to happen to you I don't what I'd do." he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. Kagome's heart melted at his words.

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"Mauro what's going on?" Naraku asked impatiently as he watched through the mirror.

"That half-demon seems to have a tight grasp upon her heart. I have to use a lot more strength then I thought just to tap into her head." he replied.

"Naraku, I told you not to underestimate her feelings for that half breed after the incident with your infant reincarnation." Kagura said, leaning against one of the walls, tapping her fan annoyingly against her chin.

"Ah Kagura, so glad that you could join us…you remember Mauro don't you?"

"How could I get forget? You're that damn fear demon right?" she replied not even sending a glance their way.

"Now, now Kagura that's no way to treat our guest." He said instantly appearing in front of her with his lighting speed and wrapping his and around her throat. "You of all people should know better then to talk to me like that." He said with a glare then glances at her stomach. Kagura wanted to retort but decided against it and stayed quiet. "Good. Now Mauro, I need you to enter phase two of your powers." Mauro nodded and obeyed Naraku's command. He shut his eyes and concentrated on the instructions given to him. Naraku released Kagura and walked away. Kagura rubbed her sore neck gently and glanced back down at her stomach. _"Damn that Naraku, there's still a scar where he set me up and had that weird guys shoot that thing through my stomach. I can't believe that he was willing to sacrifice me just to throw off suspicions!."_

Mauro chanted a few silent words then his eyes opened suddenly, wide and alert, watching the mirror intently. A smirk grew on his face.

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Kagome reached her hand up, gently resting her hand on top of his on her shoulder. She closed her eyes and smiled. A jolt o pain through her body, it lasted only about five seconds then faded away. "That was kind of weird." She thought to herself, but dismissed it. A few seconds later she heard Inuyasha mumbling something. Opening her eyes, she concentrated on what he was saying. It sounded something like **"Wow I can't believe this worked, she believed me! That was too easy. I can't wait till I tell Kikyo about this, she's going to laugh her ass off. And while she laughs I can get a glimpse of that beautiful smile of hers, I hate having to stare at Kagome's everyday, but in the end it's worth it if I get to see Kikyo…"** Kagome went wide eyed. With out a second thought she grabbed on to his hand tight and using both her arms she flipped him over herself, ending in a large 'thump' coming from what seemed to be Inuyasha's back.

Inuyasha, currently laying face up, was stunned. What the hell gave Kagome a reason to do that and where the hell did she get the strength? He got up slowly, hoping not to strain his back anymore then already had been done. Once he was up he started to yell and get upset. I mean who wouldn't? One minute you're having a romantic moment and the next you're on the floor, back down and staring at the sky. "What in hell do you think you are doing!!!??"

Her eyes were angry and her eye brows were clenched, looking him down in fury. "I…I can't believe you would say that!!" she yelled back. Inuyasha took a few steps back as she yelled at him. He had to admit Kagome was scary when she was mad.

"Well _excuse_ me if I was trying to be romantic!" He thought girls liked all the mushy stuff, apparently he was wrong.

"Not that you bastard, the thing you said after that…" she paused then continued after taking in a few breathes to try and hold back the lump in her throat, "I just don't understand Inuyasha? Why do you torture me?" she walked backward a little so that there was a good distance between them. She didn't want to be anywhere near him right now.

Now he was confused, one he didn't know what he hell she was talking about and two, Kagome just cursed..? She never did that, this must mean she was really, really upset. "I have no idea what your problem is, but I never said anything after that! And what do you mean by torture; I didn't do anything to you!"

"Why don't you just come out and say it. Stop playing games with me!"

Inuyasha starred at her confused. What did he want her to say?

"**Fine, you caught me. Do you want to know what's really been going on?" **

"What games!? Kagome you have to clue me in cause I have no idea what going on."

"**I will tell you. I have been sneaking off to see Kikyo behind your back, or should I be saying that I have been seeing you behind her back, seeing as I never left her in the first place; you just thought I did."** Kagome was astonished. The whole thing was a lie? Their entire relationship?

"**Now my dear, its time to carry out the final step in Kikyo's and my plan." He raised his hand and retracted his claws; an evil smile appeared on his face.** Kagome's face turned white and a single tear fell from her eye, rolling fast down her cheek. "Kagome; are you listening to me? What's wrong?" Inuyasha was concerned, her face had dramatically changed without warning and she was crying nonetheless. What could possibly be wrong?

Inuyasha, filled with concern, sprinted up to her, but what Kagome saw was a murderous Inuyasha running up to her with his claws out if front of him and only with one intent; to kill her.

"**This is the end!" he shouted lunging for her.** Kagome put her arms up in defense and let out a small scream.

"It's ok Kagome, I'm here." He reached out and grabbed her arm gently. She stood frozen like that for a moment, then peered open her eyes to see Inuyasha right in front of her, with his hand wrapped around her arm. She starred at his hand. The one she saw was a hand with 3 inch claws dug deep into her skin. She screamed and used her powers to push him off of her, sending him flying to the ground. That was the second time her powers reacted to her emotions.

Kagome saw that he was weak and took this opportunity to run. Clutching her arm she took off into the forest. Inuyasha was still on the ground, in pain from the blow Kagome had given him. He attempted to get up, but fell immediately back down. Sure on the outside it only looked like a few burns but in reality Kagome had sent a large amount of power through his body. Even a full demon wouldn't recover from it with in only a few minutes. A little while later Kaede and the children found him. His guess was that they had heard the yelling and went to get old lady Kaede. They took him back to hut to get him bandaged up, but what he really wanted to do was go after Kagome. There was no way the witch was going to let him do that though. He didn't understand why Kagome was acting so weird.

All he kept picturing was her face. _"She looked so scared, so terrified…could it be that she was afraid of __me__? But why; why would she be afraid of me?" _


	26. Taking Kagome Home

**A/N: **I would like to clear up two things about the previous chapter before I start this one. First, the incident that Kagura talks about with the infant is episode 126: Change Heartache into Courage and second the stomach scar that she has is from episode 166: The Two's Bond Use the Shikon Shard! Pt 1. (You know the episode when Sesshomaru and Rin find her in the river.)

Well yeah I didn't know if u thought was confusing or not so I cleared it up, anyways here's the next chapter. Enjoy.

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"Kaede, have you seen-." Miroku stopped what he was saying and starred at the wounded Inuyasha, laying on the cold floor. He blinked a few times, trying to think of why Inuyasha would be passed out in Kaede's floor. Sango and Shippo walked in behind him and they too looked at Inuyasha. "Do you think he is asleep?" Shippo asked into Miroku's ear.

"For your information, I'm not." Inuyasha sat up and looked at his three friends standing in the door way. "It's about time you guys got here! What in the world took you so long?!" he shouted. Miroku put his arms up in defense, hoping to not get ridiculed by Inuyasha any longer.

"We took our time ok?" Miroku replied. Inuyasha was about to retort, but was interrupted by Sango before he could.

"Inuyasha, where's Kagome, shouldn't she be here with you?" at this comment, Inuyasha stopped yelling and turned to stare at the ground, thinking about Kagome like he had been doing for the past hour.

"_I just don't understand Inuyasha? Why do you torture me?" _

"_Why don't you just come out and say it. Stop playing games with me!" _

_Kagome's face turned white and a single tear fell from her eye, rolling fast down her cheek. _

_He reached out and grabbed her arm gently. She stood frozen like that for a moment, then peered open her eyes to see Inuyasha right in front of her, with his hand wrapped around her arm. She starred at his hand. She screamed and used her powers to push him off of her, sending him flying to the ground._

"Inuyasha?" Sango asked once again, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Where is Kagome?"

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Kagome kept on running, her body getting more tired with every step. She must have been running for over an hour by now. Tears were streaming down her face as she tried to comprehend what had happened. Thinking that Inuyasha was following her she turned her head around to see if he was there. There, in the distance she could see something moving, running towards her. All she could think about was Inuyasha's red eyes, and the lust for her blood that he held. Filled with fear she tried to get her body to move faster, not paying attention to anything else but getting away from him. Just as she was about to turn her head back to the path in front of her, she ran into something hard. Staggering a bit she opened her blurry eyes to see an arm holding her up from falling. Thinking it was Inuyasha she started to panic, screaming and beating the chest that was in front of her.

"Let me go!! Don't do this!! I thought you cared for me Inuyasha!!" Two arms wrapped around her trying to calm her down. She shut her eyes, not wanting to see the murderous intent that filled his eyes once more. "Stop, please Inuyasha stop!!! Don't do this!!" Tears began to fill her eyes as her fear started to take over. Not knowing what else to do, she continued to scream. "Help me, somebody please help me!" she yelled, still hitting the person holding her.

"Kagome calm down, it's just me, Koga." Kagome stopped and paused for moment. She opened her eyes and looked up at the person's face. There, looking down at her worried was indeed Koga. She tried to breath and continued to look up at him, more tears forming in her eyes.

"Koga!" she screamed, latching her arms around his body. She held on to him for dear life as she cried hysterically into his shoulder. At first Koga didn't know how to react. He looked her up and down and noticed her whole body was shaking. He couldn't determine whether it was fear or pure exhaustion, he only knew that if he didn't sit her down, that she would soon fall. So letting her continue to hold onto him, he gently brought her to the ground and sat down with her as she cried. Ginta and Hakkaku soon caught up and stood to the side, looking at Kagome strangely. She had always had a really strong presence and would never let anything scare her. Neither they nor Koga had ever seen her like this.

Koga starred at her legs, they were shaking and had cuts and bruises all over them. He guessed that they were caused from running so much in the forest. Her priestess robes were torn and dirty, with holes and rips along her sleeves. As he let her cry he wondered what the meaning was behind this. Why did she look so scared and why was she screaming about Inuyasha? There had to be more to the story that he didn't know. Once Kagome calmed down he would ask her about it, but until then he would hold her and be the comfort that she so desperately needed.

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After he finished explaining what had happened with him and Kagome, Inuyasha attempted to get up and search for her. The moment he went to stand up, a sharp pain shot through his stomach causing him to stagger.

"Inuyasha, ye wound from Kagome has not healed yet. Ye won't be able to move for two days at the earliest." Kaede said mixing the stew she was cooking.

"Two days isn't good enough! Kagome's out there right now alone! Do you think I'm going to sit here and do nothing while she could be dying!?" the whole situation out raged him to no end. Using his arms, he began to drag himself to door. If he couldn't walk then he would just have to crawl to her. Miroku stepped in front of him before he could make it to the door.

"Inuyasha calm down. There is no point in going to look for her if you can hardly move. We will just have to wait. Besides I bet she's already half way to the well by now."

"Miroku move! There's no way in hell I'm waiting!" Inuyasha shouted once more.

"Do you think that you're the only one who cares for Kagome!" Sango screamed from the other side of the room. Calming her voice, she tried to reason with Inuyasha once again. "I understand you are worried, but by the way you explained her sudden reaction to you, I doubt she even wants to see you." Her words were slightly harsh, but they were right and straight to point. After Sango's statement Inuyasha shut up and isolated himself off from his friends_. "You'd better be safe Kagome."_

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After about an hour of crying, Kagome was finally calm and half asleep in Koga's arms. Everything that had happened had taken a lot out of her.

"Hey…Koga?" she whispered into his chest.

"Yeah?" he responded.

"Do you think you could take me home?" Knowing that she didn't want to be near Inuyasha he obliged.

"Sure thing." He gently picked her up and put her on his back, just like Inuyasha did. A few minutes later she was sound asleep. "Ginta, Hakkaku. You two go get Kagome's things. She said that they were at an old run-down hut at the edge of the village. There should be a few children there so don't alarm them. Meet me at the well." the two nodded and began to head off to the village. "Oh, and make sure that mutt doesn't see you!"

"Right Koga." Ginta replied, turning and running into the dark forest.

With Kagome asleep Koga began to head to the well. He walked as slow and as quiet as possible so that he wouldn't wake her. "Its ok Kagome, I will take care of you now."

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Ginta and Hakkaku crept silently to edge of the forest. They could see the little hut just a few feet away. Just as Ginta was going to step into the village, Hakkaku pulled him back.

"Ginta, before we do this maybe we should consider what Inuyasha will do if he finds us here."

"Maybe your right…" he stopped to try and think of a plan. "I got it! Lets find him before he finds us!" he said starting to sneak away to find Inuyasha.

"I don't know now about this plan, isn't the point to try and stay away from Inuyasha as possible?"

"Oh yeah."

"Hmmm, what to do, what to do? If Inuyasha does find us, he will probably kill us." Said Hakkaku sitting down.

"Yeah and if Koga finds out that Inuyasha saw us, he'll probably kill us too. Ugh! Why do we always end up in these situations!?"

"Shhh Ginta I'm trying to think. How are we going to get Kagome's thing to her…" He closed his eyes and tried to concentrate. Following Hakkaku's example, Ginta did the same. A few minutes went by when Hakkaku felt a tug o he clothes. "Not now Ginta, I'm thinking." There was another tug.

"I don't know what you're talking about, your tugging on me." They both opened their eyes to see little Tamari, one hand on Ginta and the other on Hakkaku. "AH!" Both of them practically fell over. They got themselves under control and looked back down at the little girl. She had a smile plastered on her face. Eyeing her oddly Hakkaku spoke up.

"Just what are you staring at?"

"Yea, were scary wolf demons!" Ginta added. Tamari just kept smiling and pointed at them.

"Fluffy!" she said giggling. Both of looked at what she was pointed at. Slightly swaying in the wind was their tails. "Fluffy!" She shouted again, this time a little louder.

"Shhh!" Ginta and Hakkaku said covering the little girl's mouth. "Do you know what will happen if someone finds us…."

"_Demon! Demon! There's a demon in the village! Some help!" a scared villager screamed. _

"_They've got a little girl, somebody help her!!" said another. _

"_Wind Scar!!" Inuyasha said as he jumped in with his sword ready. Looking closer at the two fried demon he noticed that they were merely Koga's friends. "Oh its you two, so when did you guys get into the habit of kidnapping little girls? No matter, I will just have to slay you anyways!!" _

"_Wait, wait we just came here to get Kagome's things!" The two pleaded. Everything got silent._

"_You know where Kagome is?" Inuyasha asked in a whisper. _

"_Yea she's with Koga………..Oops." _

"_SHE'S WITH WHO??" _

Both Ginta and Hakkaku sighed as they thought of the possibility of Inuyasha finding them. Picking up Tamari they took her back to the little hut. They walked as quiet as they could past the straw door, once inside they lit a candle so they could see. The moment the light flickered on, a huge wood log came smashing into Ginta's face, making him fall backward onto the ground. Letting Tamari go, Hakkaku stared oddly at his now twitching friend. He looked back to see a boy with another log in hand, ready to throw it at any moments notice.

"Wait, wait! Don't do that, let us explain!" Hakkaku yelled waving his arms in the air trying to reason with the child. No use. The log came flying at him and smacked him right in the stomach. Clutching his abdomen, he too fell over. Both wolf demons were on the floor, twitching in pain. Tamari ran up to her brother laughing. Tugging on his shirt she pointed once again.

"Fluffy! Fluffy!" seeing his little sister so amused by these two, he dropped the other log that was in his hand. Lyn came up behind him a rested her hands on Tamari's shoulders defensively.

"Just what do you two want anyways? And why did you have my sister?" Kye said trying his best to be brave. Taking a moment to recover, the two got up and sat cross legged on the floor.

"We came to get Kagome's things, were friends of hers." Replied Ginta, rubbing his sore head.

"Why should we believe that you even know Kagome? You're demons." Asked Kye.

"He's got a point; we don't exactly have proof…" Hakkaku whispered to Ginta.

"Uh, well you will just have to take out word." Ginta said crossing his arms.

"No chance." Kye said picking up Kagome's bag and putting it behind him.

"Come on kid what do we have to do to get you to believe us?"

"Tell me something she has in her nag." Kye responded crouching down to the yellow bag.

"Conference!" Hakkaku said, bringing Ginta into a huddle. They both tried to think of something that Kagome always kept in her bag. "Didn't she give Koga those dried potatoes once?"

"Yeah, I think Inuyasha and Koga fought over them once…" Ginta turned around and asked Kye about the strange ninja food. Kye simply shook his head no and threw another log at him, hitting him once again on the head.

"You two only have one more chance." Kye said grabbing another log next to the fire.

"Think Ginta, what would Kagome have in the bag?"

"It's kinda hard to think right now Hakkaku; I just got hit in the head with a log." After a long pause they finally remembered something. It was so obvious that they were astonished that they didn't think of it before. "The Jewel Shards!" They both yelled.

"You mean these things?" Lyn asked pulling them out of the bag. Ginta and Hakkaku turned around to see her holding the glass bottle.

"Yes those! Now please give us the bag so we can leave." _"It's almost dawn, If we don't hurry Inuyasha will surely find us." _Ginta thought to himself.

"I guess you really do know her." Kye said a little depressed. He really wanted Kagome to come back so that he could say goodbye. Grabbing the backpack Hakkaku swung it over his shoulder.

"This things a lot heavier then it looks." He said walking out of the hut.

Bye fluffy!" Tamari said waving her hand side to side. A few moments later Kye came running up behind them.

"If you really are Kagome's friends, could you tell her something for me?" the two nodded. "Just tell her I said thank you."

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A/N: sorry that i ended the chapter with Ginta and Hakkaku. i just dont think that they get enough credit in the show or the manga. i dont know if what i wrote was funny or not, writing thier charecter was alot harder then i thought. anyways cant wait to read ur reviews, tell me what u think of them so i can work on thier charecter a little bit. thnx.


	27. Photo Album

"What took you two so long!?" Koga said in a loud whisper, hitting them both on the head. "You're just lucky that Kagome's still asleep."

"Right…" Hakkaku and Ginta nodded rubbing the sore goose bumps. They figured that it would be easier to just agree with Koga and admit defeat, seeing as he usually wins when they argue, and by win they mean getting the crap beaten out of them. Sighing, they handed Koga the heavy yellow bag and began to walk back with him to the well that Kagome was currently leaning up against.

"Do you think we should wake her?" Ginta asked taking a seat.

"I wasn't gonna wake her up until the sun came up. That should be in about fifteen minutes." Koga said starring at the grey sky.

"That's sweet of you, but I'm already awake." Kagome said sitting up and adjusting her self into a more comfortable position. She looked so sad, so distant. He wanted to comfort her; he wanted her to be happy and cheerful again. But, what was he supposed to say to her when she was like this? Honestly he had no clue.

"Well…uh…if you want you could go back to sleep and I can wake you later."

"That's ok, the sooner I'm home, the better." She replied getting up and brushing off her skirt. "Well I guess this is goodbye. I want to thank you Koga, I don't know how I would have made it through the night without you." And through her sadness she gave him a smile, a genuine smile that showed how thankful she was. She then lifted both her legs over the wooden edge of the well as Koga handed her the bag. He stepped back to give her some space before she jumped in. "Oh and Koga, if it wouldn't be to much trouble, could you meet me at the sacred tree in 3 days?" he nodded a 'yes' and with one last sad smile she jumped in, returning to her own world.

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The group of friends was jerked awake by a large crash. Miroku jumped up and looked to his right, there on the floor, with a shelves worth of herbs on top of him, was Inuyasha. Shaking his head, he helped his friend out of the mess and then made him sit back down where he had previously been.

"Do you care to explain?" Miroku asked looking at the mess on the floor. Inuyasha gave a 'feh' and turned his away. Sighing Miroku sat back down next to Sango and Kaede. Everyone ate their breakfast in silence. Inuyasha starred at his bowl of steaming porridge. _"That damn shelf, it was supposed to hold me up, I was almost out of here too…"_ he thought to himself. He then took his hand and pushed the bowl out in front of him. "I'm not hungry." He said in a pouting tone. "And I'm not eating till we go find Kagome." He was acting like a little kid, but his friends were used to it, it was just how Inuyasha was.

Miroku just sighed. He knew how to handle this. "But Inuyasha, if you don't eat then you will have no strength to find Kagome now will you?" Miroku had him there. For once the monk was right. Still, unwilling to give up his pride and eat; he just turned away with another 'Feh'. A few minutes later Miroku glanced from his food and saw Inuyasha slowly grabbing the bowl and shoving a small amount into his mouth. He took a sip of his tea with a smile on his face. _"Mission, making Inuyasha eat: Accomplished." _

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Kagome walked into her house, happy to finally be home. "Mama, I'm home!" she shouted. When no one replied she tried again. "Mama, Souta, Grandpa!!" once again there was silence. "Oh well, I guess they aren't home…I guess I can go take a bath." She walked up stairs and turned on the hot water. Once it was filled she lifted herself into the porcelain tub and tried to relax. But she couldn't; all she could think about was Inuyasha. Taking a small amount of shampoo, Kagome gently rubbed it into her scalp. She then brought her hair to the front and began to lather the ends. The whole time she kept thinking about Inuyasha. Her eyes became sad, and her hands began to play with the ends of her hair rather than washing them. "Inuyasha…" she whispered. A few moments late she realized what she was doing.

"Come on girl stop thinking about him, you need to relax!" she yelled at her self before she dunked her heard under water. Kagome held her breath for as long as she could before she had to come up. She wished she could've stayed down there; it was so quiet, so calm under the water. That was something kagome would always love to do. She loved to just sit underneath the water and think. It was so easy there. When she was under water all she could hear were her own thoughts. Taking the bar of soap, she gently rubbed it up and down her arms, trying to rub away the dirt. Another memory of Inuyasha flashed in her head. She slammed her fists into the water, making a huge splash. "It's too quiet in here, all I can do is think about him." There was a knock on the door. "Kagome? Is that you dear?"

"Yes mom."

"Oh when did you get home?" She said through the door.

"A few minutes ago." Kagome replied.

"Sorry dear, we were next door. Do you need anything?"

"No, I'm just getting out." Kagome stood up and wrapped her pink towel around her wet body. She stepped out and walked to the mirror. Rubbing away the steam, she looked at herself. She glanced at her arm, the scratches were completely gone. "I guess they weren't as deep as I thought." She said as if it were nothing. She walked out of the bathroom and continued down the small hallway to her room. Once inside she sat on her bed and began to put on her clothes, then she realized something. Once again their was silence and once again she was thinking of Inuyasha. In frustration she slammed her radio down. It turned on and started to play music. "Ah that's better." Kagome said falling backwards so that she could stare at the ceiling. Her eyes began to slowly close as she could hear the music playing in the background.

Her eyes finally shut all the way and she was soon asleep.

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Inuyasha sat on the grass leaning up against the outside of the hut. Finally after 20 minutes of compromising, his "friends" let him outside, on one condition, he was to stay within 5 feet of the hut. But then again its not like he could go anywhere, it was still painful to even stand, let alone walk. His thoughts then went back to Kagome. He starred at his stomach. _"Where did she get all that power?"_ he asked himself. He still didn't understand where Kagome could've gotten that much strength. She only blasted him with a small amount of power in a short time. If she would've kept releasing power she could've killed him. _"Kagome would never do that, would she? She couldn't kill me…at least I don't think she could."_

His thoughts began to wonder about Kagome's capabilities, and her "new" powers. "_She could take down a full fledge demon with that kind of power…"_ he began to worry. _"She couldn't kill me…"_ he couldn't help but think this way. Kagome had just surprised him with her strength. Then, a flash of Kagome appeared in his mind. It was her face and she had a huge smile planted on her cheeks as she looked up at him. All it took was that one little memory and all Inuyasha's doubts were erased. "There is no way Kagome would kill me." He said allowed as he got up freely and walked back inside. He didn't feel a thing a pain. _"I guess my body is recovering."_

Bursting through the mat door he smiled at his friends. "We leave at noon tomorrow." Sitting down her grabbed a bowl of left over porridge and scarified it down. He then immediately started on his second. The more he ate the healthier his body would be and the sooner it would heal. Thinking about Kagome was all the determination Inuyasha needed to get better.

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Kagome slowly fluttered open her eyes. Her room was pitch black as she stumbled around to find the light switch. The light turned on and her eyes closed trying to adjust to the bright light coming from her lamp. She walked to her window and starred at the full moon for long time as she rested her head on the palm of her hand. "The new moon is tomorrow night…." She said out loud once again thinking of Inuyasha. Deciding it was better to do something else and get her mind off of him, she closed her window and walked out of her room, turning off the light and closing the door softly behind her. As she came down stairs she stopped at the end and watched her family play scrabble together on the kitchen table. _"A family…"_ she thought. Her dreams of one with Inuyasha seemed to be nonexistent now. Frustrated, she slammed her hand against the wall. Startling her family, Kagome continued to walk toward the kitchen.

"Kagome are you alright?" Her concerned mother asked, getting up from her game.

"I'm fine mom." Kagome replied a little defeated. Mrs. Higurashi starred at her sad daughter as Kagome searched through the cupboard. _"I wonder what happened…" _

"Kagome dear, there are some leftovers in the fridge if you want. Just help yourself to them ok?" Her mother said putting on a cheerful smile.

"Thanks mom…" she replied grabbing the Tupperware container of rice. Noticing her daughter's sadness she quickly tried to find something to cheer her up.

"Oh Kagome, I almost forgot, today after you came home I took that film that was in your bag and got it developed. I picked it up about an hour ago." Taking a moment to dig around in her purse, she soon handed it to Kagome. "Here you go." Mrs. Higurashi said smiling.

Kagome starred anxiously at the yellow envelope for a few moments, almost as if she was afraid to open it. She knew that the moment she saw the pictures, it would immediately bring up the emotions that she was currently trying to ignore. Kagome lifted up the flap slowly. She was able to see only the top of the developed pictures. Convincing herself to stop what she was doing she closed it once again and looked up at her mother.

"Thanks for giving these to me mom." Kagome said turning back to the fridge. Grabbing the first thing in sight she quickly closed the refrigerator door and ran back up stairs. Once back in her room, Kagome tossed the envelope onto her nightstand next to her bed and glanced down to what she had grabbed.

"Broccoli? I grabbed broccoli?" She took the vegetable and chucked it in the trash, spinning back around to face her bed. "Ok Kagome, you've got to snap out of it. This is getting ridiculous." She said to herself pacing back and forth from her window back to her closet. Feeling at a loss, she plopped herself onto her bed, letting her feet hang off the edge. Out of the corner of her eye she could see the envelope. She could feel her curiosity start to surface and realizing this; she made herself turn around so that her back was to the pictures and her head was toward the window. Although she couldn't see the yellow envelope that's all she kept thinking about_. "Out of sight, out of mind, Out of sight, out of mind, Out of sight, out of mind…."_ She kept repeating that phrase it her head, trying not to focus on her rapidly growing interest. Losing the battle within herself, she finally gave into temptation and went to look at the pictures.

Sitting cross-legged on her bed, Kagome slowly took out the stack of pictures and began to flip through them. The first couple of them were of her small birthday fling she had in the feudal era. One that struck her eye was one of herself and Inuyasha. Both of them were laughing hysterically as they looked at their icing-covered faces. Kagome couldn't help but show a small smile at the memory. That was the best birthday she had ever had. She took that one and a few others and placed it off to the side.

The next one after that was one of the pictures taken on their beach day. Kagome immediately erupted with laughter as she glanced at the pictures of Sango and Miroku. He was rubbing her butt, like usual and Sango was slapping him across the face, like usual. A couple photos later there was a picture of them entwined in a fiery kiss. "Those two are so cute to together." She thought as she flipped past it. Kagome's face immediately changed as she starred at the next one. It was of her and Inuyasha. They stood wrapped in each other's arms, locked in a passionate and tender kiss while the sun was setting perfectly behind them. This photo made tears sting her eyes. It made her think of all the wonderful times she had with him. _"I still don't understand why he would do that…"_ her mind asked wondering back to the previous day. Kagome continued to look through the pictures, all the while she kept thinking of possible reasons as to why Inuyasha would act that way.

After she was done looking at them, Kagome went to her closet and pulled out a small blue photo album. As she walked back to sit on her bed, she blew off some of the dust that had settled on the cover. She then flipped it open to the first page. It was a picture of her family, just like the one that Mauro had found. Flipping past it, she went to the second page. This was her favorite and most treasured photo. It was of her and her father when she was little. The photo showed a 5-year old Kagome, sitting contently on her father's shoulders with her arms spread out wide as he spun her around in circles. Both of them had huge smiles on their faces. Under the pictures were the words: _Daddy's Little Girl_. Kagome's face grew even more sad at the thought of her father. Turning to the back of the book, Kagome began to place several of the pictures she had put aside and start to position them into the empty spaces. The last photo she put in was the one she loved so much of her and Inuyasha; the one with the sunset. Kagome glanced at her clock. "3:15. " Sighing she adjusted herself so that her body leaned gently against the headboard of her bed. Starting from page one, Kagome flipped through the photo album. The night was filled with smiles and tears as she thought of past memories.

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**i hoped you liked the chapter, i know that nothing really eventful happened but i wanted to show how inuyasha and kagome were feeling apart from eachother. also, here is what the sunset picture of inu and kag looks like, well when i wrote the kiss this is the picture that i thought. heres the link, if it doesnt work let me know. **

www. photobucket. com/albums/ b10/wolfhowler245/ Inuyasha

**anyways i cant wait to read your reviews i hope u liked it!!!!!!  
****  
**(please remove spaces in web adress, fanfiction wouldnt let me type it unless i added spaces :3)


	28. Reminders

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Kagome stirred from her sleep to glance at her alarm clock. 7:15. "Time for school. Joy." She said out loud as she adjusted her aching body. She sat in the same position as she fell asleep in the night before. Half her blanket was on top of her legs while the other was slumped on the floor. Her upper body was leaned up against the head board of her bed and the old photo album was sitting contently on her lap, open to the last picture she had managed to look at before she finally drifted off to sleep. Getting up, Kagome quickly noticed the crick in her neck as it sent a sharp pain down her spine. "Note to self: Never sleep like that again."

Kagome dug deep into her closet to find a clean school uniform. But after 20 minutes with no luck, she gave up and decided to wear a simple blue skirt and a white tank top with a yellow sweater over it. Grabbing her navy blue school bad, Kagome walked unhappily down stairs.

"Here you go honey." Her mother said shoving a huge plate of breakfast in front of her. Kagome starred for a moment at the steaming pancakes. They were chocolate chip; her favorite. "I figured that since you didn't have dinner last night, I'd make you a nice breakfast."

"Thanks mom, but I'm not that hungry." Mrs. Higurashi looked at her daughter strangely, but decided to let it go for now. She picked up the plate and began to put it away with all the other leftovers in the fridge.

Kagome was half way down the street when she remembered something that she had forgotten. She sprinted to her house and dashed up stairs, swinging open her door violently. Lifting the blanket off the floor, she quickly grabbed the photo album and stuffed it in her bag. Kagome didn't really understand why, but when she left her house, she just felt like she needed the album with her to get through the day, a remembrance of some sort. To recover her lost time, Kagome had to run to the bus stop, where she would normally meet her friends. Finally when they came into view, Kagome slowed her pace to a fast walk.

"Kagome! You're here!" the three of them shouted, standing up to greet her. Kagome gave them a small brief smile as she walked up to them.

"So how's your boyfriend Kagome? You know the violent one?" Yuka said with a hint of spite in her voice.

"Yea Kagome, how are you guys?" Ayumi asked cheerfully. She always was the one out of the three that seemed like she actually liked the thought of her and Inuyasha together.

"Lets just get to school ok?" Kagome replied, as she continued to walk past them. Her three friends soon followed after her, all the while wondering why Kagome was so blue today.

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Kagome let out a large, overwhelmed sigh. _"Ugh, I hate math…"_ she thought walking to her next class. Feeling a tap on her shoulder, Kagome turned around to see who it was, and it was none other then Hojo.

"Hey Kagome, I'm glad to see your back. Are you feeling better?"

"Not really, no." Kagome replied plainly.

"Oh well that's a shame, why don't you drink this tea. I always drink it because it's supposed to strengthen your immune system." He said holding out the glass bottle. Kagome starred at it for a moment before she looked back up a Hojo.

"Please, no gifts today Hojo. I'm tired and I just want to get this day over with." She said as she continued to walk to her next class, leaving a bewildered Hojo standing alone in the hall with a full bottle of herbal tea in his hand.

Kagome rubbed her sore neck as she listened to her teacher babble on about how to write a sentence correctly. _"This is the last class till lunch; I just have to wait 35 more minutes…"_ She thought glancing up at the clock. _"I guess I should actually pay attention to what's going on, I'm already behind as it is."_ Sighing, Kagome picked up her pen and started to write down what her teacher had put on the board.

Finally lunchtime came around. Kagome walked up to the table and sat down next to Ayumi. With one hand rested underneath her chin, Kagome began to play with her lunch uninterested in what was going on around her. Realizing that she failed to distract her self from what was obviously on her mind; she got up and excused herself from the table. She left Ayumi, Eri and Yuka sitting puzzled at the table.

"What's with her today?" Eri asked her two friends.

"I wonder if she's still sick." Ayumi added. Just then Hojo walked up.

"I just saw Kagome walk away, is everything alright?" he asked slightly worried.

"I don't know she's been acting so weird today…" Yuka replied. There was a few minutes a silence as they all thought of a way to find out what was wrong.

"I got it! We should visit her after school and cheer her up!" Hojo said with his voice full of pride.

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Kagome walked home by herself after school. She didn't want to be around any of her friends right now, she just wanted to be alone to think. _"I still can't figure it out, Inuyasha acted so different, so scary. I have never seen a look in his eye like that before, it was as if her transformed again….."_ Kagome still didn't want to believe that it was the real Inuyasha that had tried to attack her. Arriving at the shrine, Kagome began to climb the longs staircase up to her house. She walked into and took off her shoes, setting them next to her bag on the floor. "I have to relax; I have to stop thinking about him." A idea sparked in her head as she walked in her living room. _"TV! Watching TV is always the best thing to do when you're avoiding something!"_ Sitting down, she curled up under a soft blanket and turned on the black screen. She flipped through the channels for a few moments till she stopped and began to watch a movie. As she watched, she realized something. It was the same movie that her and Inuyasha had watched together. "Ugh!!!" She yelled as she threw the remote across the room. "Everything I do either makes me think of him or reminds me of him, why can't I get away from him!!" She shouted out loud, frustrated.

"Because you love him." The voice surprised Kagome slightly, she didn't know anyone was home. Calming herself she turned to see her mother standing in the door way.

"Mom!" she cried, running into her mothers arms. Mrs. Higurashi had figured out that the reason her daughter was acting so weird was because of Inuyasha. She was just waiting for Kagome to come to her about it.

"Everything I do reminds me of him, why?" Kagome said through muffled sobs.

"I already told you, it's because you love him."

"But I don't want to love him anymore!!" Kagome shouted. Rubbing her daughter's back gently, her mother began to talk about her own true love, Kagome's father.

"You know when your father was alive, me and him would always get into silly little fights and we would say things to each other that we didn't mean. And sometimes we would even do things that we regretted. But in the end we would always figure it out and work through it. Maybe if you and Inuyasha talked about whatever happened then you two could also get through it." Her mother told her with a smile on her face. Kagome simply nodded. _"Maybe that's it, maybe Inuyasha was just mad at me for something…" _Kagome searched her mind for a reason to why Inuyasha would react to her like that. Honestly she couldn't come up with anything. "I guess talking to him is the only way to find out….but I'm not ready for that right now…I don't think I can face him just yet…"

Right then the doorbell rang. Souta ran down the stairs and opened the door to see Kagome's four friends waiting to be let in. Sighing he let them come in. Souta never did like her friends they were always so fake, he would much rather have Inuyasha here then them, and frankly he wished Inuyasha would show up to cheep Kagome up. He always hated when she was sad.

"Hey Kagome." Eri said holding a bouquet of flowers in her hand. Kagome moved away from her mother and wiped away the tears from her eyes.

"What are these for?" She asked taking them and leading her friends into the kitchen to put the flowers in a vase.

"Well we figured that you would need them after breaking up with your boyfriend." Kagome stopped what she was doing and starred oddly at her friends. "Me and Inuyasha aren't broken up, are we?" Memories of what happened the other day flooded into her head making part of her agree with her friends. But then more memories came into her head of times when they were happy together.

"Why do you say that?" she asked setting the flowers on the counter.

"Well you were just acting so strange that we-" Hojo tried to say.

"Well maybe you shouldn't assume!" she shouted back. "It's none of your business what goes on with me and him, and did you ever think that maybe I was just having a bad day? You always assume that he's some evil horrible guy when in reality he's not!" All of her friends were stunned. Kagome has never yelled at them like that. "Now if you would excuse me I have homework." Kagome marched up stairs and slammed her door. A few minutes later Kagome's mother came up stairs.

"Your friends are gone."

"I'm sorry I yelled mama, they must think I'm horrible."

"I'm sure that if you give it time they will understand." She said, trying to comfort her daughter.

"I guess…" with that her mother left and Kagome began to work on her homework.

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"Where the hell is Miroku?" Inuyasha asked impatiently.

"He said he'd be back in a few." Sango replied.

"That was two hours ago, I wanted to get going before dark." Inuyasha said standing up. A few minutes later Miroku walked back into the hut.

"Before you say anything, the reason I took so long was because I was getting us some money for our travels."

"And just how did you do that?" Inuyasha said mockingly. Miroku just changed the subject.

"Anyways I realized something when I was out, there is no way we are leaving to day."

"WHAT!" Inuyasha shouted, ready to pummel the monk top the floor.

"Isn't tonight the new moon?" Inuyasha had hoped that his friends wouldn't have figured that out, he knew that they would make him wait to leave till morning.

"Well that settles it, we will leave tomorrow." Said Miroku as he sat next to Sango. Inuyasha just sat down with his legs crossed, sulking to himself. He knew there was no sense in arguing with them, they were only making him stay out of concern.


	29. Hope and Disapointment

Kagome's head shot up when she heard a knock at her door. "Mom wants you to come down for dinner!" Souta shouted from outside her room. She took a moment to collect herself before she answered back. "Ok, just give me a moment." Kagome said yawning. She waited until the footsteps of her little brother were gone before she moved from her desk. Kagome stood up and stretched out her arms in the air while she glanced toward her window. "Great I must have fallen asleep." She walked to her window and stared out into the blackness of the night. She sat there for awhile looking up at the stars until she heard her mother shout her name from down stairs. "Coming!" Kagome replied as she walked out of her room. She sat down at the table alongside her family. She stared at her bowl of steaming rice and thought about the stars. Something about tonight was different. It took her another minute to realize just what was so strange about tonight.

"The New Moon!!" She yelled as she sat up from her seat.

"Kagome, just what are you talking about?" Asked her confused Grandfather. Kagome just ignored the question and ran outside. She ran towards the well, her speed increasing with every step as more thoughts of concern filled her head. She ran past the Sacred Tree and past the huge set of shrine stairs. Kagome could see the little well house only a few feet away from her. She used her strength to swiftly slide open the door. She darted down the steps and was about to jump in, when she stopped. Kagome gazed down into the dark void of the well. _"What am I doing?"_ she was so filled with concern about Inuyasha that she forgot all about the worries she had for herself and what would happen if she went near him again. She was lucky enough to get away with her life last time, but what about the next time she encountered him? Taking her knee off the lip of the well, she turned around to go back to the house.

"What was I thinking? Inuyasha will be fine on his own, I mean it's not like he needs a weak human like me to help him. He obviously has enough power to do it on his own." She said with a hint of spite in her voice as she remembered when Inuyasha had attacked her. Before returning to the house, Kagome stopped to look up at the sacred tree, _their_ tree_. "Compared to his usual strength, he's so weak when he's human. I guess it would be normal for me to worry."_ Kagome walked up to the front of the tree to the spot where she had first seen Inuyasha. There was still a scar from where Inuyasha had laid under Kikyo's spell for 50 years. Resting her hand on it gently, Kagome thought about her friends. _"I hope they're ok. I can't help but wonder if Inuyasha tried to attack them too…"_ Kagome sat down with her back up against the Tree's large trunk and decided to think a little more on the subject. _"I told Koga to meet me in three days…that's tomorrow…" _

Before, when Koga had let Kagome sleep next the well she wasn't really sleeping. She was actually thinking of what she was going to do now that there was no way she could return to Inuyasha. She had considered going back home permanently, but remembered her duty to recover all the pieces of the Sacred Jewel. Sure, Kikyo could do it but _she_ was the one who broke it and _she_ was the one who promised to make it whole again. It wasn't just the jewel that kept her from going home to her own era for good, it was her friends too. There was no way she could leave Sango, Miroku and Shippo, at least not without saying goodbye first. Kagome felt pretty sure that Inuyasha wouldn't attack them, only because the drive for blood that was held in his eyes was for _her_ blood only, so she thought that they would be relatively safe. She finally came to a decision. She would travel with Koga and his group and finish collecting the shards and once the Jewel was whole again she would return home. It was the only way she could full fill her duty and get to say a proper goodbye to her friends. That is why she told Koga to come back and meet her in three days.

Her main concern right now however was how to get back to meet Koga without Inuyasha noticing. She knew that if he was at the village then he would easily pick up her scent when she came out of the well. Kagome learned from experience of how powerful Inuyasha's senses were. That's when an idea came to her mind. She got up and rushed into the house. Shutting the door behind her she looked upon her family sitting calmly at the dinner table.

"I leave tonight."

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"When is this moonless night going to end?" Inuyasha said tapping his fingers anxiously on his knee.

"Do you have to be so impatient all the time?" Miroku asked slightly annoyed with the way Inuyasha was acting. All Inuyasha did was turn away and give Miroku another 'feh'. He'd been getting a lot of those lately. Sighing, Miroku looked around the room. He glanced at Shippo who was curled up next to Sango and at Kirara who was snuggled up beside them. Kaede had decided that she would spend the night with a sick women and her three children that she told him she had been treating for the past couple days. Miroku was the only one awake other than Inuyasha.

"Why don't you get some rest Inuyasha? I know that you're tired."

"No chance." He replied not even turning his head to talk to him.

"Why? Even you need to sleep." Said the monk trying to reason with him.

"I already told you earlier, I'm not sleeping until I make sure Kagome is ok." At that comment, Miroku noticed that his eyes got a bit more intense and serious than before. He knew Inuyasha was thinking about Kagome again. In the past couple days it was rare when you _didn't _find him thinking about her.

"Inuyasha," Miroku started. "I know that this is the first time since you've met Kagome that she hasn't been here on the moonless night…" Inuyasha's ears dropped a little and he turned his body more toward Miroku but kept his eyes planted to the floor. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that; I can tell that you feel more at peace when she's here."

There was a silence for a few moments as Miroku stared with sympathy toward his friend. Whatever had happened had affected Inuyasha deeply. Inuyasha then took a deep breath and began to speak. His voice was quiet and sad as he spoke.

"I just thought that maybe because _it was_ the night of the new moon, she would come back. She always got so worried about me on these nights… I guess I just hoped…I don't know…that maybe because she worried so much, she couldn't help but come back to check on me…" Miroku had never seen Inuyasha like this. He seemed so sad, so guilt-ridden. Inuyasha stopped and focused on his thoughts for a moment before continuing.

"You should've seen her face. She looked so terrified when I came up to her. It was like she was afraid of me. I don't think I've ever seen her that scared before…"

Once again the room filled with silence. Miroku had no idea what to say to him. In this situation what could you say?

"I guess whatever I did messed things up pretty bad this time, huh?" Inuyasha said giving a fake smirk to try and relieve the room of the thick tension that had taken over its once calm demeanor.

"Inuyasha…" was all that Miroku could choke out. He could feel the emotion that was radiating off his friend. Realizing that he had just given away to much Inuyasha immediately tried to change the subject.

"Just…just forget I said any of that ok…" Inuyasha said trying to close himself off again. Noticing this, Miroku knew he had to stop him.

"No I can't Inuyasha," Inuyasha lifted his head up to look at him. "You can't just keep doing that. It's not good to keep your emotions bottle up like that. You have to let them out." Miroku said slightly raising his voice. Inuyasha got a little ticked off at Miroku's statement. He would deal with his feelings any way he wanted and there was no way he was going to let someone tell him how to do it.

"And how do you want me to do that? I'm not like you; I just can't calmly talk about them."

"You don't have to; you just can't keep holding it up inside you. Every person had limit Inuyasha."

"Well maybe you can explain to me a solution; because this is the only way I know how to deal with my problems. Unlike you, I didn't have family or friends to talk to about stuff like this when I was younger; I was alone so keeping my emotions bottled up was the only way I knew how to deal with them, it was the only way I could survive." Miroku could see that he somehow offended Inuyasha so he tried to explain and apologize, but before he could he was cut off.

"You see when you're out there, the ONLY way to survive is to always be alert and never show any sign of weakness. Once you let your emotions show, you're dead." His voice got so loud and angry that it woke Sango.

"Inuyasha I-" Miroku tried once again to say.

"Oh and another thing, don't try to understand how I'm feeling, cause there is no way that you could understand what it's like knowing that you're the worst nightmare of the one person you truly love." With that said Inuyasha stormed out of the hut. Miroku glanced back at a worried Sango. Miroku sat down defeated.

"I was just trying to help…" he said to Sango. She knelt down next to him and put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Inuyasha will see that in time, he's just upset over Kagome right now." Her words washed away the blanket of guilt that had fallen on his shoulders. He was thankful to her for that.

"I guess your right…

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Inuyasha walked hastily towards the tree. He stopped and stared at for a long time, thinking only about his anger. Getting fed up with his frustration, he punched the tree trunk. Then he did again, and again. He kept hitting it over and over until his entire fist was covered in blood.

"Damn." He said giving the tree one last, hard punch.

His chest was moving rapidly up and down, trying to recuperate itself from the loss of breath. Feeling somewhat tired, he leaned forward and put his forehead on the trunk to rest. Inuyasha stared at the ground, his expression changing from anger to sadness once again. He let his arms fall to his sides as he watched the blood slowly drip off his hand and land on the ground below him. "Kagome…" Inuyasha whispered as he looked up at the sacred tree, remembering the first time he saw her. Through the trees he saw what looked to be a shooting star. Remembering what Kagome said, he decided that he would make a wish. "Whatever I did, just please let her come back to me…" with that said he walked solemnly back to the hut alone.

But what he didn't notice was the figure that was sitting in the tree branches above, listening to everything he had said. The person jumped swiftly off the branches to report to its master.

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"I don't understand why do you have to leave tonight?" her mother asked slightly confused. By now Kagome had told her about meeting Koga.

"Because mom, Inuyasha won't be able to pick up my scent in his human form, this is the only time I can go and get away from him." She replied shoving more things into her bag.

"Kagome, whatever fight you two had, I'm sure that it wasn't bad enough to separate yourself from him. I mean you love him after all, don't you think that it is going to be hard for you to be away from him, even if you're fighting?" her mother said trying to reason with her daughter.

"I know that mom, but right now there is no way I can be near him. This situation may not last forever, but it will do for now, at least until I figure things out." Snapping the clasp together, Kagome lifted the bag onto her shoulders. Her mother walked her to the well house where she said her goodbyes.

"Bye mom." Kagome said giving her mother a hug. "Goodbye Kagome." Mrs. Higurashi replied. Kagome gave her mother one last smile and short wave before she jumped into the well, going back in time five hundred years to the feudal era. _"I hope this works; I only have two hours till sun rise…"_ Kagome thought as she drifted from her era to Inuyasha's. Kagome got out of the well and began to run to the sacred tree. Once she was there she set down her bag and got in a nice comfortable potion to wait for Koga. An hour or so had passed, and by then she was half asleep with her head resting on her knees that were currently brought up to her stomach. Koga came up beside her and lightly tapped her on the shoulder. The moment his hand came upon her she shot up.

"I didn't mean to scare you." Koga said apologizing. Kagome took a moment to catch her breath as she brushed off her skirt.

"No biggy, you just surprised me was all." She replied picking up her things.

"So why'd you want me to meet you here?"

"Koga," she said taking a few steps closer to him. "I have a favor to ask of you. Do you think that it would be alright if I traveled with you guys for awhile? I have to fulfill my duty to make the Sacred Jewel whole again, so I thought maybe we can collect the shards together. I promise I won't get in the way and I will do my best to-" Koga stopped her.

"Of course you can hang with us, it will be our pleasure." He said with a smile. Kagome gave him a quick hug then released him, getting a small pout from Koga. She tightened the straps on her bag a little and adjusted it so that it was more comfortable on her back.

"So how we traveling?" she asked. At first Koga was slightly confused but soon understood after thinking about his speed. "

"Well I guess it's up to you, we could walk if you want, or…" he said giving her motion to sit on his back. At first Kagome was skeptical about it, but when she glanced at her watch and realized sunrise would come in about 45 minutes, she quickly leaped on his back.

"Whatever way is the fastest." Kagome answered as she settled her body on to his back.

"Hold on!" Koga said with a cocky smirk as he and Kagome took off in a tornado of dust. Ginta and Hakkaku slowly followed behind them.

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Inuyasha's black hair began to fade to silver and his claws and fangs began to grow back to their normal size. His doggy ears formed on his head as his whole body went through the transformation.

At last it was day break and Inuyasha's powers had returned.

"Let's go!" He shouted with new found excitement and energy. Inuyasha raced in front of the group, so excited about reaching Kagome. The past couple of days had been torture without her around and he was finally going to be able to ease his thoughts of worry once he saw that she was ok. He hoped that she had gotten over what ever had happened between them, but right now that didn't even matter. All he kept thinking about was being able to see her. Inuyasha knew exactly what he was going to do, he was going to run up to her, wrap his arms around her waist and catch her lips in a kiss. She had been the only thing on his mind for the past 3 days.

Then he picked up a scent, a scent that he knew backwards and forwards. It was _her _scent. Inuyasha got exited as he ran quicker, hoping that he would find her soon. But then as he got close to the Sacred Tree, he picked up another scent; a scent that he wasn't to pleased with. "Koga…" Inuyasha muttered under his breath as he slowed his pace down to a stop. He sniffed the air more carefully and realized that Kagome's scent and Koga's scent were together, going in the same direction. Once he realized this, his heart dropped. _"She went with him?"_ he thought to himself. _"But why would she do that, was it because of me?" _His thoughts of confusion were interrupted as his friends caught up. Miroku, Sango and Shippo all starred at Inuyasha in wonder. He had this really confused, sad expression on his face, almost like he was disappointed in something. Sango was the one to ask him what was wrong.

"What is it Inuyasha?" Inuyasha kept quiet for a moment before turning around and walking past them.

"She left with Koga." Was all he said before he bounded off by himself somewhere to think. Miroku and Sango just looked at each other, then back at the place they had seen Inuyasha run towards.

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**A/N: yay i got the next one up pretty wuick dont ya think? im proud of myself :) anyways i know that the ending was kinda sucky but i just wanted to put it up so bad i kinda rushed throught it. anyways some of you might be wondering if this is going to turn out to be a KogaxKagome fic. dont worry its not, but there might be some minor kogaxkags in the next few chapters. onto other things, the symptoms from the fear demon are going to get alot stronger soon, but im not exactly sure when. so watch out for that. anyways i hope you liked this one, cant wait to read your review!!!**


	30. Visit From The Past

"Hey Koga, can you stop for a sec?" Kagome said in his ear. The demon obliged and let Kagome down.

"What is it?"

"I know that it might sound stupid, but do you think we could walk for now. Its just when I sit on your back, it reminds me of Inuyasha…" Koga of course understood and the four of them began to continue their mission on foot. Koga stood in front with Hakkaku and Ginta following in the back of him and Kagome was a few feet behind them, lost in her thoughts. It had been three hours since they left the sacred tree. She stopped and stared back at the path behind her. _"Maybe I shouldn't have left like that…" _she thought now feeling bad for not saying goodbye. "But I guess this is for the best…" this time talking out loud to herself with a saddened tone. Kagome looked toward the three wolf demons in front her for a moment before continuing. _"I'm sorry Inuyasha…"_

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"What are we going to do about those two?" Sango asked Miroku, as they sat under the tree. It had been three hours and Inuyasha still hadn't returned. "I'm starting to get worried…" Miroku was silent for awhile as he thought. He looked down at Shippo, sleeping peacefully in the shade.

"We must go after her." he said as he stood. Sango gave him a confused look, but he soon explained. "You know as well as I that it will rip Inuyasha apart knowing that Kagome is with Koga. We have to find her and get her to come back with us…besides it's kind of lonely here without her cheerful presence around…"

Sango thought for a moment and then decided Miroku was right. They have to get her to come back, if not for Inuyasha, then at least for the rest of them. Standing up with a new feeling of determination, she marched off to find Inuyasha. "I'm going to find Inuyasha, I'll be back soon." She said as she waved over her shoulder. Miroku smiled and sat back down next to Shippo.

Sango walked a ways until she came upon a forest. She knew Inuyasha would be in a tree somewhere feeling sorry for himself. Once inside she began to yell his name. "Inuyasha! Inuyasha!"

Inuyasha had heard his name being called over and over again. He could tell by the sound of the voice that it was Sango. He chose not to answer, wanting to be by himself. After calling his name about 10 times, she knew he was ignoring her. "Don't you think your being a little immature about this?" she shouted to the trees.

Inuyasha thought to himself and let his frustration get the better of him. He jumped from his branch and advanced toward Sango. "I'm not the one being immature about this, she is! She's the one who left with _him_ remember?" he yelled in her face.

"I know that, and I didn't mean it that way. What I meant was don't you think you should go after her instead of staying here and sulking?"

"If she wants to be with him instead of me, then so be it. I'm not going to be the one to chase after her, if she wants to come back then she can do it on her own!" with that said he sprinted off in the other direction. Sango watched as he ran away, disappearing once again into the trees.

Inuyasha ran and ran until he was miles away from his friends. He didn't want to be near anyone right now. He kept going until he was in a place that he knew all to well. He slowed his pace as he walked up the hill, to the beautiful cherry blossom tree. Inuyasha kneeled down next to it and rested his arm on the stone, sighing deeply. He always hated the emotions that would invade his human heart whenever he was here. He sighed once again and starred at the inscription. "Mother…" he whispered to him self. His eyes got sad as memories of the past flooded hi mind. He rested head against the tombstone, thinking of old times…

_Flashback _

It was mid day; the wind had a certain warmth to it as the young boy ran through the field of flowers. His silver hair blew behind him as he ran as fast as he could up the hill. He couldn't have been more then five or six. He smiled as he saw the figure drawing closer. "Mother!" he shouted as he laughed. The young boy's mother swooped him up in her arms as she ran up to him, swinging him around once in a circle before falling in the tall grass. The two laughed as they laid, staring at the clouds.

"Mother?" a young Inuyasha asked. "What will happen if you die?" he questioned with a sudden seriousness. His mother had been extremely sick for awhile and this was one of the rare days that she was able to get out of bed. The young hanyou knew this and couldn't help but worry, it was in his nature. The woman stared at her son looking at him slightly surprised. _"He's so young, yet he always knows exactly what's going on." _She gave him a soft smile, and brought his tiny demon body closer to hers. They kept staring at the clouds, until his mother began to speak.

"At first, I know that it will be hard, and although we will miss each other, things will get better. You will grow up to be a strong, handsome young man and you will meet someone who will love you as much as I do. You will find friends and find a new family to make memories with." She paused for a moment before continuing. "And when that happens, I want you to promise me something. Promise me that you will hold onto that person and never let go. Promise me that you will do whatever you can to protect her, whether it be from danger or from the simple sound of thunder. Be there when she needs you, and listen when she talks. But above all, promise me that you will love her, show her the care and kindness that you've shown me, and that I've shown you. I want you to promise me this." She looked at her son with an intense gaze in her eyes. By this time, they half-demon boy was holding back the water that was building behind his eyes. "I promise mother." He choked out, making sure that his tears wouldn't fall. The women smiled genuinely at her son. _"Even though life is tough right now, he still puts on a brave face…just like his father."_

Two days later, she died, leaving Inuyasha on his own.

_End of Flash Back_

Inuyasha let out a low growl. He clenched his fists together so hard that his claws were digging into his palms, making blood drip down the sides of his hands. _"I promise mother."_ That phrase kept repeating over and over in his head. "Damn this human heart!" he shouted, slamming both hands into the ground. _"Promise me that you will hold onto that person and never let go."_ His mother's words echoed in his head. Inuyasha was torn. His heart was telling him to follow her, but his mind was too stubborn.

Inuyasha closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to rid himself of his unwanted emotions. "_Why do I feel this way? She left me, not the other way around, so why do I still have a strong desire to be next to her after she did this to me?"_ he contemplated these questions over and over in his head. Suddenly out of the darkness of his mind, a figure appeared. She wore a light pink kimono with red Sakura blossoms on it. Covering her back was her long black hair that reached well past her knees. _"Inuyasha…"_ she smiled.

"Mother?!" Inuyasha said confused. "Is this real?"

"_Listen to me, I'm only going to ask you one question and I only want a yes or no. Do you love this girl?"_ her face was stern and her eyes were deep, signifying that she was serious.

"I…she…she left me for-" he was cut short.

"_Yes or no?"_ Inuyasha took a moment to think about his response. He took a deep breath and regained his composure.

"Yes." He said calmly. Izayoi smiled at his words.

"_Well then, if you feel this way, why are you still here?"_ She smirked to her son.

"But mother she left me…" Inuyasha's voice became sad, as he looked away from his mother's eyes.

"_Then go after her and win her back,"_ she paused for a moment before continuing. _"And just remember things might not always be what they seem."_ He voice began to get quieter as she finished. Inuyasha looked up to see his mother fading away. "Mother! Don't go!" he shouted.

"_Promise me that you will hold onto that person and never let go." _His mother's words once again echoed in his head. Inuyasha's eyes shot open as he leapt to his feet. He ran back to his friends, now determined to get Kagome back.

"_Thank you, Mother." _

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The sky was covered in colors of orange and red, making the clouds seem pink as they drifted with the wind. Kagome starred up at them as she walked with the three demons. Lost deep in thought, she failed to notice the large rock in the middle of the path. Her eyes shut as she lost her footing, sure that she was headed straight for the ground. When she didn't feel the hard impact, she opened her eyes to see Kouga holding her up, inches away from the dirt.

"You should be more careful." He said helping her to stand. When Kagome looked up to thank him, she realized how close she was to his face. A deep red blush set in upon her cheeks as she jumped away.

"Uh…thanks…" she said, not daring to look in his eyes. Kouga, slightly disappointed, turned back around and continued walking. Kagome stood there for a moment thinking about what had just happened. _"Why am I so embarrassed? It's not like I like Kouga like that..."_ now extremely confused with herself, Kagome decided it better to stare at the ground rather then the sky.

It was late that evening when Kagome suddenly awoke from her sleep. "Kouga, I sense a Sacred Jewel Shard!"

"Which direction?" he asked standing up. She looked around frantically trying to get an exact reading on the presence. _"There."_ She thought to herself. Jumping on Kouga's back, the four of them headed off to find the source. They headed out of the forest and went north, the entire time; Kouga listened to Kagome's directions. "Wait," she said. "Its changed direction, now its going south." She said pointing behind them. Kouga quickly turned around and ran back to the direction they came from. Once they were back in the forest, Kagome got off his back and tried to locate the fragment.

"What is it Kagome?" Kouga asked noticing her confused expression.

"This cant be…" she said to herself.

"What is it?" Kouga asked again.

"The jewels presence is going north again."

"Well then we will just have to back there wont we." He said picking Kagome up as he began to run toward the Jewel.

They did that all night. The Jewel Shard kept jumping from one place to another. It seemed as if every time that they would get to it, it would change direction. It was day break now and Kouga, Ginta, Hakkaku and Kagome were back in the exact same place they had started.

"I just don't understand how could this be? Do you think it could be a demon?" Kagome asked the three demons as she starred at her reflection in the stream.

"I don't think so Kagome, I didn't pick up any demon scents while were chasing the fragment." Kouga replied.

"Yes, us either." Ginta added. Kouga walked up to Kagome and kneeled next to her. "Maybe that whole Inuyasha thing took more out of you then you thought." He said resting a hand on her shoulder. After a moment he got up and walked back to the two boys. "I'm going hunting; I'll be back in a bit." Kouga said walking away from the group. "And Kagome, try and get some rest ok?" with that said he was off.

Kagome starred back at her reflection. _"Could it really have been me? I could've sworn that I sensed a Jewel Shard…maybe my powers are weakening…"_ Kagome sighed to herself. _"This is bad, and even worse I let Kouga down."_ She gave herself a disappointed look, then got up walking away from the stream, not wanting to look at her pathetic reflection any more.

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"Nice work Kikyo." Naraku praised.

"Thank you." She replied with a smirk. "It was easy; they didn't even realize that they were in an illusion. They thought that they were traveling miles, when in reality it was only a couple feet. I'm actually kind of surprised that Kagome didn't sense my barrier. You're doing well at confusing her Naraku."

"Well I have to thank Mauro for that." He said as the fear demon nodded his head in response. Naraku glanced back at the Mirror. "Inuyasha should catch up with them with a few days…this is getting to be quite interesting." He said with a grin.

Kikyo walked back to her room in the hidden castle_. "Just wait, I will have my revenge on you and Kagome."_ She said to herself as she took one final glance at Naraku before closing the door.

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**A/N: Well heres chapter 30! Yay!!! i know that there wasnt very much exitment in this chapter, but there will be in the up coming ones. I hope that you enjoyed that flash back inuyasha had with his mother. let me know what you think about his promise. XD i look forward to your reveiws!**


	31. Wolf Den

Kagome splashed the cool water on her face and ran her hands through her wet hair. She sighed as her hands fell to her neck. She had been traveling with Kouga for only a couple days, and truth be told, she was happy to a have a moment to herself. She had told the boys that she was going to bathe in the river that was down a ways from camp and that she would be back in a half hour. Staring at her reflection once again, Kagome kept thinking about what had happened yesterday. "Maybe I was just having an off day?" she asked herself. Realizing that she had already been gone twenty minutes, Kagome dove under the water to finish rinsing her body off. All of the sudden she felt a huge pressure on top of her. It felt as if somebody had their hand around her throat squeezing the air out of her lungs and holding her under water. When she opened her eyes to see what was causing this she realized that it was her own hand around her neck. Kagome's eyes widened at this fact and battled with herself to let go. Time had almost run out by the time she was able to get free. She shot up out of the water and took a moment to take a few deep breaths before removing the hair from her face. She stared at her right hand as it shook, clearly seeing the finger shaped bruises forming around her wrist where she had grabbed her arm to get loose. Fear and confusion ran through her body as she continued to stare. A few more moments went before her fear took over making her sprint out of the water, grabbing her towel and wrapping it around her shaking body. Kagome held one hand on her forehead while she took a few comforting breaths to calm herself down. "I'm loosing it." She whispered as she began to walk back to the others.

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"Good work Mauro, we have already convinced her not to trust Inuyasha and once we convince her to not trust herself, it will be a synch to take her over completely." Naruto smiled. "As for you Kagura, I want you to see how Inuyasha and the others are doing with my little…interference."

Kagura sighed and pulled a feather from her hair. "As you wish, _master_." She said with an annoyed mocking tone. After getting a smirk from Naraku, Kagura walked out side and was on her way to find Inuyasha.

"That damn Naraku treats me like a slave, making me do all his damn busy work." She said to herself as she flew over the land. "Just wait, one day I will become free like the wind, and when that day comes you will need my help and I will watch from side lines as you regret what you have to done to me." Kagura said with hate in her voice and vengeance written all over her face.

Once she had caught up to Inuyasha and the gang, they were already in deep battle with the few hundred demon's Naraku had sent them. She hovered high above the gorge, far enough away so that her presence wouldn't be noticed. She watched as Inuyasha cursed and swung his sword to kill the demon in front of him.

"I don't have time for this!" he shouted using his Wind Scar. After the attack, he slammed his sword into the ground and wiped the sweat from his face. He took a few more deep breaths before another round of demons came for him. "Oh well, I guess it can't be helped." He said grabbing his sword and charging at them.

Kagura then turned her attention to Sango. She was currently swinging her Hiraikotsu over head to gain momentum before throwing it. Once she did, it knocked out about ten of them. Sango caught her weapon, and readied her next move. She watched Inuyasha launch another Wind Scar, killing a few demons. As he went to fight more, Sango noticed a boulder falling from one of the sides going straight towards Inuyasha. "Watch out Inuyasha!" she shouted, throwing her weapon in hopes of destroying it. The Hiraikotsu hit broad side, slamming into it with enough force to redirect its path. The boulder came crashing down a few feet behind Inuyasha. "Thanks Sango!" he shouted jumping in the air to kill a centipede-like looking demon. Running up behind her, came Miroku. They stood back to back, ready for the next attack. The demons swarmed in a circle around them with the intent of killing them, however there was no way that was going to happen for they had a few tricks up their sleeve.

Miroku stood with his staff at an angle against his body, ready to defend himself and Sango if need be. Sango pulled out her sword and held it offensively in front off her. "You ready Miroku?" she asked with a smile, he nodded in response. At the same time they both leaped forward slashing two of the demons if front of them. They continued to jump around, swinging their weapons at their enemies before going back to their defensive position. _"There's so many."_ Sango thought taking deep breaths. A few seconds later they did the same thing, but this time the demons came at them all at once. They had tried to stay back to back but that proved to be too difficult. Miroku become locked in battle with one demon, trying to hold him back with his staff. Past the demon, he could see Sango fighting with the other demons. He then put his attention back on the demon in front of him. Using his leg Miroku slid his foot against the ground and under the demon, making him fall flat on his back. Right when Miroku stabbed it with his staff, he looked up to see Sango running toward him. "Miroku there's a crow demon behind you!" He instantly knew what to do. Dropping his staff, he formed a cup shape in his hands as Sango ran swiftly toward him. Sango leapt into his hands jumping off them while Miroku used his strength to launched her up into the air making her do a few summer salts before coming down forcefully on the flying demon with her blade. She landed on her two feet with her sword resting on her shoulder as the demon's body fell down behind her.

"Wow the demon slayer and the monk do have a few moves." Kagura spoke as the fight began to strike her interest. Inuyasha used one last Wind Scar and the fight was over. Sheathing his sword Inuyasha walked up to his two friends with Shippo and Kirara not to far behind him. "Well now that, that's over, why don't we get some food, I'm starving!" the little kitsune spoke. The three of them just giggled and agreed. Kagura let out a frustrated sigh and headed back to Naraku's castle.

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Kagome gripped Kouga's shoulders as they sped through the trees. They were headed back to Kouga's den. Earlier one of his pack members came to him with scratches and cuts all over his body. He said that Kouga must come back to help defend the pack. Minutes after that he fell unconscious. The group moved quickly as Kouga carried Kagome and Ginta and Hakkaku took turns carrying their bloody friend.

"Kouga were going to slow. Why don't you take him and let the boys take me?" Kagome asked, worried for the injured demon. At first Kouga was reluctant to let her go, but realized that his pack needed him more then she did at the moment. He came to a quick stop and let Kagome down. Kouga then hulled the body onto his back and took off, leaving Kagome, Ginta and Hakkaku in a cloud of dust.

"I could tell you guys were getting tired so I told Kouga that you guys would take me instead. Don't worry, you won't be caring me, this way you guys can rest up ok?"

"Oh thank you Kagome. You're so nice." Ginta said as Hakkaku nodded in agreement to show their appreciation.

"No problem." She replied with a smile. Three of them walked hastily after Kouga. They had arrived only ten minutes after him and when they got there, everybody looked fine and had on happy smiles.

"Hey Kouga, what are you doing back here?" one of them asked, dropping the boar he was currently eating.

"There...was…danger." he replied between deep breaths.

"What are you talking about; there hasn't been any danger since those god damn demon birds."

"But he said…" he trailed off looking back at the spot where he had set the man. "There was a man there, where did he go?"

"Are you ok Kouga?" they asked.

"You guys saw him right?" Kagome and the boys all nodded in agreement.

"Maybe it was the heat?" Hakkaku spoke up after seeing all the confused faces.

"Must have been…" Kouga replied still staring at the spot on the grass.

The pack showed Kagome in, showing her the right hospitality and consideration. After all she was Kouga's girl.

She felt slightly on edge here, considering that the last time she was here, she was held against her will with them ready to kill her. She also had this strange feeling and she couldn't help but remember the injured wolf demon. She glanced at Kouga as he laughed with his friends_. "He must really miss them; these demons are like his family." _She then turned her focus to a small ledge toward the roof of the cave. There, knelt the demon from earlier. He wounds had disappeared and his head was dropped low to the ground. All of the sudden his head shot up, revealing deep evil yellow eyes. Kagome's eyes widened as she scooted back in fear_. "That's why he disappeared earlier, he's a demon in disguise."_ She thought standing up and reaching for her bow. She pulled back the string and shot her arrow, sending it flying through the air headed straight for her target. She closed her eyes when she let her arrow fly, silently praying that it would strike. When she opened them, it wasn't the imposture but one of Kouga's pack members. He leapt up just in time before the arrow hit. He stayed attached to the wall for a few minutes in fear while the others had tried to piece together what had happened.

"She just tried to kill Suzuko!" one of them shouted with a pointed finger. The rest of the demon's then turned toward and started yelling things like "You're right!" "What side is she on?" and "Kouga trusted her!"

"Get her!" one of them screamed. Kagome, Kouga, Ginta and Hakkaku were then backed up into a corner, with Kouga in front trying to reason with them.

"She didn't mean it, it was an accident." Kouga tried to explain.

"Oh yeah right, an accident, how convenient." One spat back.

"Calm down, Kagome would never try to kill anyone without a good reason." He then turned to face her. "Right?"

Kagome didn't even look at him; she just kept her eyes on all the angry people around her. She looked baffled and shocked. Her body started to shake, fear and confusion consumed her mind. The only thing that was going through her mind was that she had to get out of here. "I…I…" she stuttered trying to give them an explanation, but how could she when she didn't know the reason herself. "I…I…I have to go, I'm sorry!" she shouted as she pushed her way through the crowd of wolves.

"After her!" But before they could move, Kouga jumped in front of the entrance with his arms crossed over his chest. "Now, now, everybody calm down. It's clear by her expression that she didn't mean it, lately Kagome hasn't been…herself." He said with a sigh. "I'm sure that if we give her time she will explain her actions." The angry pack decided to listen to their leader, trusting his words. Hakkaku brought him the arrow, and Kouga took it from his hands with a stern look on his face. He gripped it tight and went after her. He was going to find out the meaning of this.

He found her about a mile away from the den. She was sitting against a tree with her head buried in her knees.

"What the hell was that?" he shouted throwing the arrow down to her feet. Kagome shot her head up surprised by the tone of voice. At first she thought it was Inuyasha, but was surprised to see that it was Kouga. He had never talked to her like that.

"I… I'm so sorry…"

"Sorry for what? Trying to kill one of my own kin?" he asked with anger still in his voice. Kagome picked up the arrow as she tried to explain.

"I didn't see him, it was-" she was interrupted.

"What do you mean you didn't see him? What are you blind?" she once again tried to explain but he kept stopping her. "You know, if you didn't want to be there you could have just told me instead of shooting you arrows everywhere!" Kagome's frustration then got the better of her.

"Stop yelling at me! I'm trying to apologize! I didn't mean to shoot at him ok!?" Kagome yelled standing up. "He looked like an intruder! I thought I was protecting you!"

"Well if you ask me you're right! Maybe I need to be protected, not from intruders but from you!" He instantly regretted the words that had slipped out of his mouth. Kagome was taken back. His words stabbed deep into her heart.

"You're right. I am dangerous." She said holding the arrow close to her chest. "Maybe this was a mistake, I shouldn't have come with you, I should have just stayed in my era." Right as she turned away, a single tear fell from her eye. She picked up her stuff and headed off in the opposite direction. An extreme weight of guilt fell on Kouga's shoulders as she walked away. He stayed in that same spot for several minutes, thinking about all the hurtful things he had said to her._ "I should've at least let her explain…" _he thought sadly as he walked back to the den.

Once in sight Ginta and Hakkaku quickly ran up to him. "Where's Kagome?"

"She left." He said, regret clearly written in his eyes.

"You just let her leave? It will be dark in a few hours!" they said worried. "Go after her!" Kouga just walked past them and into the cold den. Ginta and Hakkaku both gave each other worried glances, and then nodded. They started heading off toward her scent. If Kouga wasn't going to go after her, then they would.

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**Hey sry for the late update, my mom has been using my computer for work cuz hers broke. anyways i hoped this chapter was ok, i kno that kouga was a little outta charecter, but i didnt know of anyway else to have kagome leave. By the way i hope that the inu group battle scene wasnt too confusing. the bird demon that tried to attack miroku was the same one that stole the jewel in the beganing of the series. if you have any questions just ask. Well the next chapter is going to be called "Appreciation" which means that i already have ideas. i hope that the wait isnt too long, but i cant promise anything seeing as i start school on wendsday. joy. well i look forward to your reviews!!**

**Wolfhowler245**


	32. Appreciation

The sun was setting by the time that the two demons spotted her.

"Kagome! Kagome, wait up!" They both shouted waving their hands above their head to get her attention. Kagome stopped walking a turned around slowly, confused at who was calling her. She gave them a sympathetic look as she saw the hope in their eyes. She knew exactly why they were here. They came to convince her to come back with them, that everything was just a misunderstanding.

"I'll stop you before you say anything." She said as they stopped in front of her, now confused. "I'm not going back."

"But…but why?" Hakkaku stuttered.

She turned away as she responded. "I just can't." Just because she refused, didn't mean they were going to give up.

"Come on Kagome, you know Kouga didn't mean what he said." Ginta tried to reason.

"I know, but it doesn't mean that he wasn't right." Truthfully, the boys didn't know exactly what Kouga said, but they knew that he had to say something pretty awful to make Kagome leave.

"Right about what?"

"About me being…" she paused as she remembered Kouga's angry face and hurtful words. _"Well if you ask me you're right! Maybe I need to be protected, not from intruders but from __you__!" _his statement echoed over and over in her head. "Never mind, I just can't return with you, especially after what I almost did." Kagome said sadly turning back to them.

"Don't worry the pack will forgive you, I'm pretty sure they have already, they usually forget about silly mishaps like that." He said with a slight chuckle trying to lighten the mood.

"Thanks but even if they could find it in them, I don't think I could ever forgive myself." Her words had surprised them as they both let out small, unheard gasps. "Now if you will excuse me, I have to go." She turned around and continued to walk up the hill.

"Kagome you can't leave!" Hakkaku shouted desperately.

"Why can't I?" Kagome asked with a hint of frustration in her voice. She already felt bad enough and they were just making things worse. But what they said next had caught her completely off guard and made her regret getting frustrated with them.

"You…you were the only one who was kind to us and cared if we lived or died." Hakkaku said with his head dropped toward the ground. Kagome starred at them, listening intently to what they had to say.

"He's right, every time we would meet; you always treated us with respect and kindness and always looked out for our well-being." Ginta added. Their voices were soft and Kagome could tell that their words had come from the heart. She wanted so desperately to run to them and wrap her arms around the both of them; giving them both a big hug and thanking them for their kindness. However she knew that she had to leave, if she didn't then who knew what she would do. She bit her bottom lip, trying to hold back her emotions.

"I appreciate your kindness as well; you were always so nice and polite to me, and you cared whether I was upset or not. I know that he will never admit it, but Kouga really appreciates you too. You're like his brothers and I know that you two are the closet people to his heart. He truly does care about you and needs you there by his side for his support." Her words had touched their hearts, making them smile as they starred at the ground. Kagome walked down the small hill and rested a comforting hand on their shoulders. "Now I think you should go back where you are most needed, with Kouga. Don't worry about me, I will find my way home just fine ok?" she said to them with a huge smile planted across her face. They nodded quietly trying not show how much her words had affected them. She gave them one last glance before turning around to leave. A few seconds later she felt two pairs of arms wrap around her body.

"Thank you Kagome, you are true friend and whatever happened between you and Inuyasha we know that he cares deeply about you. Maybe you should give him another chance." With that said they let go and ran back toward the den, leaving a shocked and teary eyed Kagome behind. She dropped her head and let her bangs fall in front of her face as she began to continue her journey. _"Thank you both…"_

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The gang walked up the steep staircase to the large temple. They had heard from passing travelers of a wise monk that had very powerful spiritual powers and was known to train some of the most powerful priests and priestesses. It was even said that his ancestors worked with Midoriko, the women responsible for the creation of the sacred jewel. Inuyasha was skeptical about the whole idea but Miroku wanted to check it out and hoped that this strange monk would be able to answer a few of their questions.

Once they reached the top, they noticed the huge entry way. It was a stone arc with many inscriptions and pictures of ancient times. The group stood close to it, examining in awe at the detail and complexity of the arc.

"It is of my ancestors, it tells my family's past." The group turned around to see a short old monk standing with his hands wrapped around an old broom. "How can I help you young ones?"

"We are here because we heard that you are very wise and we were hoping that you can give us some information." The monk nodded and showed them the way in to the temple. Inuyasha couldn't help but wonder if he had met this man before, he had a striking resemblance to someone he knew but couldn't picture who it was.

"My name is Toushuu." The old man said introducing himself as he closed the sliding door.

"My name is Miroku; this is Sango, Shippo and Inuyasha." Miroku replied introducing his friends. Miroku was about to ask the monk about the fear demon but was interrupted.

"You wanted to ask me a question concerning one of your friends did you not? A young women perhaps?" Toushuu said setting down the kettle and picking up the try of tea to serve to his guest. Miroku took them a passed one to each one of his friends.

"But how did you know that?"

"Well my ancestors did work with Midoriko after all; in fact this is the same temple she did most of her training at."

"Wait this is where the creator of the sacred jewel trained!?" Sango said in awe. The monk nodded in response to her sudden curiosity.

"When I was born I was told that I had a gift and so when I got old enough my grandfather taught me how to use and control my spiritual powers. Ever since then I have been able to see bits and pieces of the future." The three of them, excluding Inuyasha, listened in awe as the man told his story. Inuyasha of course didn't care one bit; he was more interested in finding out some info on the demon that attacked Kagome. Hopefully the monk could tell them something that would explain some of Kagome's recent actions. Inuyasha finally let his emotions get the better of him as he quickly jumped up off the flour and began to yell at the old man.

"Enough, enough about your past! We've got important business we got to handle and you're going to help us!" he demanded. Toushuu just continued to sit with his hand folded in his lap and his eyes calmly shut.

"I see…" he said quietly. "You are in love with this troubled woman…" Inuyasha stepped back in shock. How can he know so much about him and Kagome?

"And just how do you know that!?" Inuyasha asked with an angry pointed finger. This time when the monk responded, he had his hands held up, locked together in a triangular position if front of his chest. Inuyasha watched and studied the monk's odd position and wondered why he had changed from a once carefree man to an intense serious one. The room fell silent for several minutes as the group watched Toushuu flinch and shudder as he sat in the same position on the floor. Toushuu's face looked concentrated, like he was trying focus on something. He moved his head slightly to right side as he began to talk.

"I…see….a girl…." he paused for a moment but continued shortly after. "…she has raven black hair…she's running away or towards something, I can't tell…" the moment he said that Inuyasha knew it had to be Kagome. The monk's body began to relax and Inuyasha sat down and waited for him to come out of whatever trance he was in. Just as the gang started to settle down the monk's body once again became tense. "…FIRE! FIRE!" he shouted. "….'don't worry I'm here to help'…'Dad where are you? Dad!?'…"

Toushuu then came out of the trance and took in deep breaths to try and calm his tired body. "Although they don't look like much, those premonitions take a lot out of me." He wiped the sweat from his forehead and shifted his body into a more comfortable position.

"What happened just now?" Inuyasha asked, now curious about the monk.

"It was a premonition, I told you before I was born with a gift or I guess you could call it a cur-"

"Never mind that, who was the girl!?" he asked anxious.

"I've never seen her before…she had on strange clothing and, as you know, had black hair. She reminded me a lot of the girl that I saw with you guys in my previous vision."

"That has to be Kagome!" Inuyasha said running out of the temple. Miroku turned to Shippo, but before he could say anything, Shippo interrupted him. "I'll get him." Miroku then turned his attention back to Toushuu.

"In your vision, you said something about fire…?" Miroku asked, wondering if that is what the man actually said.

"Ah yes, I did. In my vision I saw a village…" the story was stopped because Shippo came running crying with an aggravated Inuyasha trailing shortly behind.

"What happened Shippo?" Sango asked as Shippo leapt into her lap.

"I'll tell you what happened, that little pipsqueak used his stupid fox magic on me again!" Inuyasha yelled.

"It coulnt have been that bad…" Sango said trying to reason with him.

"That bad? That bad!? He posed as Kagome so I'd come back in here with him!" Inuyasha was beyond pissed now and obviously there was some important reason for him to come back in here, so he sat down frustrated. Sango looked at Shippo wanting a answer for his actions.

"Well it worked didn't it?" the young kitsune smirked. Sango tried to hide her laughter as she heard Inuyasha 'feh' from the other side of the room.

"Now that we've settled that, please continue monk…" Miroku said as politly as possible.

"Anyways, I saw a village. The whole thing was on fire and there were people screaming and running in all directions. In one of the huts, it looked as if somebody was trapped. That's when I saw the girl. She was running toward the burning village. 'Don't worry I'm here to help.' The next thing I saw was darkness. I could only here a young woman's voice. 'Where are you dad? Dad!?' she sounded pretty scared…"

The room got very quiet as they all tried to figure out what all of this could mean. The silence was interrupted by the sound of a huge slam. They looked over to see Inuyasha with his fist in the floor. "Kagome is in danger and we're just sitting here."

"I know it's hard to sit here, but please wait just a little longer, we have to ask Toushuu about the fear demon still." The moment Sango finished her sentence the monk shot up. His fists were curled tightly in a ball and his head was dropped to the ground.

"…what is it…?" Miroku asked confused.

"That damn bastard killed my granddaughter!"

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**A/N: i hoped you liked this chapter. i know that the whole kagome/wolf thing was corny but hey a storys not a story whithout a little bit of cheesiness. anyways i cant wait to read what you guys think, i look forward to your reviews!!!!!**


	33. True Identity: Faze Three!

"That damn bastard killed my granddaughter!" he exclaimed. To be honest, the group was kind of surprised by the monk's sudden anger and foul language.

"Who did?"

"That fear demon you spoke of, he did it, he killed her…" his angry words trailed off into ones of despair. Once Toushuu had calmed down he explained the situation.

"He goes by the name of Mauro, and as you know by his nickname, he uses your fear as a weapon against you until you go mad. Two years ago, he took my granddaughter away from me. Since then I've been trying to find out whatever I can about this demon and his whereabouts so that I can avenge my granddaughter's death."

"How does he do it?" Sango asked with a hint of curiosity.

"First he follows you around for about two weeks, waiting for the opportune moment when you are alone. Then after playing with your mind a bit, he bites you, injecting poison into your body so that he can control your mind and your fear. Once that happens you become connected to him. After that you began to start having terrible headaches and you start to hear and see things. Mauro has three fazes to his powers. Faze one: he uses small details against you to increase your fear making you more vulnerable to his power. Example: If there is an apple on the ground he can make it seem as though it is a banana. After doing this for awhile the infected person is given in to his power enough so that he can begin to go freely into your mind and find out everything about you. What you fear, who you love, who your family is, everything. Then comes faze two: once you've reached a certain 'level' of fear, he can make it seem as though you are in a different place and a different time, making it seem that everything around you is different. For example, if its daytime and the sun is out, he can make it so the infected person thinks it nighttime and pouring out side. They even feel as if the rain drops are falling down and hitting their skin."

"And faze three?"

"Faze three is always different, unlike the other two this one pertains to the person and the person only. It is something that will affect them physically and/or mentally, and in the end it will kill them." Inuyasha let out a small gasp as the monk finished.

"Is there anyways to save them!?" Inuyasha asked desperately.

"The only way I know of is for Mauro to release you himself. Normally you kill the demon and the spell disappears, but because he uses fear, a natural entity in the human mind, I don't know if killing him will completely get rid of the spell." Inuyasha sat silently for a moment and thought about what the monk had said. What if this Mauro person wouldn't let Kagome go? What if killing him wasn't enough to save her? So many thoughts ran through his mind, and then came one thought that made a chill run down his back. What if Kagome died? Could that happen? They have been in situations where she has been in danger, but they were nothing like this. It was up to Inuyasha now to save her. Some how he had to convince this demon to let Kagome go even if that meant giving up his own life to do so.

Inuyasha stood up and looked at the monk sitting on the floor. "Thank you for your information monk Toushuu. You have been a great help, but we must leave you now. We have business to settle with this fear demon." By the time he finished, Inuyasha's hand was tightly balled into a fist. Miroku, Sango and Shippo all bowed and thanked him before following Inuyasha out of the temple. They were almost half way down the long set of stairs when Toushuu came running up behind them.

"Inuyasha! Inuyasha, wait I forgot to tell you something!" the monk shouted. Inuyasha stopped and turned to look at the old man. A few seconds later Toushuu was standing next to Inuyasha, breathing slightly heavy from the run down.

"Whatever tore you and this young woman apart, you two will get through it. And even though she might have said or done something to make it seem like she doesn't care, look past that and see the reason she was so affected by whatever happened." At first Inuyasha was confused about the monk's statement and gave him a very puzzled look.

"Just have faith in her and in each other, ok?" Toushuu said giving him a comforting pat on the shoulder. Inuyasha just nodded his head and turned back to his friends to leave.

Toushuu watched the four of them leave, off to try and save one of their friends. "Goodbye young ones…" he whispered out. "…for now…"

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Kagome stopped at a small stream to give herself a break. She had been walking for several hours now and her body was sore and tired. She put her shoes and socks off to the side so that she could rinse off her swollen feet. It felt nice putting them underneath the cold water. She glanced down at her stomach as she heard it growl. "I guess I should eat something…" truthfully she could remember the last time she ate, ever since she started acting strange she has been eating less and less. Kagome dug through her yellow bag and pulled out her last cup of ramen, it was chicken flavored, Inuyasha's favorite. Using her lighter she started a small fire to cook her meal. Once it was steaming she put out the fire and decided to eat under a nice shaded tree.

Bite by bite she ate her ramen until only the broth was left. "Its so quiet eating alone." She missed hanging out with her friends on their journeys. So many happy memories were made here in the feudal era. Setting down her cup, Kagome leaned herself back on the trunk of the tree. She closed her eyes and thought of all the times with Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku and Shippo. She thought of when Inuyasha and Shippo would fight over the biggest fish or when Sango slapped Miroku because he was trying to be perverted. These happy thoughts made her giggle a little as she sat alone. Pretty soon Kagome drifted off to sleep and dreamed of all the happy times she had with her friends.

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"Help! Somebody help me!" The scream startled Kagome in her sleep, making her jump awake. She looked around trying to remember where she was. She was still at the same spot as before but it was now dusk.

"Help!" somebody screamed again. Kagome grabbed her bag and ran toward the sound. About a half a mile away she found a woman lying in the middle of the road. Kneeling down, Kagome pushed the hair from her face to see bruises and burns all over her face. She then glanced at the woman's body and noticed that her entire body was covered in the same marks.

"…help…" She tried to whisper out.

"Don't worry I'm here to help." Kagome said trying to help the woman sit up. It was useless; she was too weak so Kagome laid her head gently in her lap. "Where you the one screaming before?"

"Yes….my…my…village….fire….bandits…" after that was said the woman slipped fully into unconsciousness. Kagome held onto the woman's and dragged her behind a large bush where she would be safe from danger. "Don't worry I will go help your village then I will be back." Kagome looked up in the sky and could see smoke rising from somewhere. "The village…" she left her bag there with the woman, only grabbing the jewel shards, her bow and her quiver of arrows.

After following the smoky trail for about another mile, Kagome finally got to the village. She immediately noticed that most of the villagers lay slain on the ground. Some had huge gashes on their bodies while others had severe burns. At first Kagome didn't think anyone had survived, but just as she thought that a small group of about ten people came running out of the burning village. A few feet behind them was one lone bandit. He was laughing while trying to swipe at them with his spear. As quick as she could Kagome brought up her bow and released her arrow. The arrow went flying and hit her target, knocking him off his horse. The people came running up to her frantic. There were six children and four adults; one male and three female. The man was first to come to her. He started talking so fast that Kagome could barley understand what he was saying.

What she did hear was something like, "that was the last of the bandits", "All the others are dead", "my wife is dead," and "these are the only survivors". Then a little boy, no older then Souta came running up to her.

"My grandma, she's still inside!" the boy latched onto her leg and cried. "Please help I don't want my grandma to die." Kagome looked at all the frightened people that stood around her. Some were crying while others looked too traumatized to show and emotion. She knew right then what she had to do.

"Its ok, I will go save her. You have nothing to worry about, trust me." She patted his head with a smile in hopes to comfort the young boy. He nodded and released her leg. "Now all of you, I need you back up; I don't want you to breath in any more smoke then necessary. Now, I'm going to run in their and get that woman, when we come out I want you," she said pointing to the man. "To come out and help her. No matter what happens he is the only one allowed to cross this line." She grabbed her bow and made a line in the dirt, using the line as a safety precaution for the villagers. "And for the woman I want you to keep the children close to you at all times. If something is to happen I want you to cover their eyes and keep them calm. Does everyone understand?"

The group of terrified people nodded their heads and watched as she disappeared into the smoke and flames.

Kagome ran through the burning village, desperately trying her best to hear the woman's terrified screams and pinpoint her location.

"Somebody help me! Please!" Kagome stopped and turned back around, she was only one house off. The bamboo curtain that hung from the door was completely burned to ambers and hanging only by a few threads in the upper left hand corner. The roof was completely engulfed in fire, as was the rest of the village. Kagome carefully scooted around the curtain and made her way into the house. Of course the person trapped had to be in the second largest house in the village.

"Where are you?" she tried to yell through her muffled sleeve as she covered her mouth from the smoke. She didn't get a verbal response only the sounds of sobs. She continued to check the rooms until she came to the one at the end of the hallway. Dodging the falling embers, she slipped through the door and made her way in the room. "Is anyone here!?" she screamed, uncovering her mouth.

"Help!" Kagome quickly ran to the opposite of the room. Sitting in the corner, with a small quilted blanket between her hands, was the old woman. She had tears of fear rolling swiftly down her cheeks as she clutched the piece of burnt fabric.

"Its ok I'm here to help." Kagome said with a smile. A glimmer of hope could be seen on the woman's face. Crouching down beside her, Kagome began to look over her and to check if she was injured. "You seem well enough to walk, let's get you out of here ok?" Kagome helped the woman up, putting the woman's arm over her right shoulder to support her as she walked. They had just gotten out of the building when the woman realized something.

"The blanket, where is the blanket!?" she yelled frantically. Kagome looked around and saw that the fabric was no where near them.

"I'm sure that the blanket is something you loved, but surely it isn't worth your life." She said as she began to walk again. But the old woman wasn't going to give up so easily. She wiggled out of Kagome's grasp and ran toward the burning house. Kagome was able to get her way just before the woman went back in.

"You don't understand that's all I have left of my granddaughter! I'm not going anywhere until I get it!" Kagome looked at the woman's face and although there were tear stains on her cheeks, the woman's face was stern and determined. Giving a defeated sigh, Kagome gave in.

"Ok, but _I_ will go get and _you_ will go back to the other villagers, alright?" the old woman nodded and Kagome untied her red scarf from her shirt. She gave it to her and told her to hold it to her mouth so that she wouldn't breathe in as much smoke. After telling her how to get out of the burning village, Kagome ran back into the house.

Backtracking was the only thing that Kagome could think to do, after all she didn't know weather they dropped it along the way or never picked it up in the first place. She ran frantically, but carefully through the large house, trying to remember the exact path they took.

It wasn't that hard to find the bed room where she found the old woman. She turned into the room and there, in the middle of the floor, was the tattered blanket. Sighing Kagome went to it and picked it up, happy that she could finally get out of there. Even though she had her sleeve to her mouth, the smoke had started to take a great toll on her. Her eyes stung and watered and her throat was killing her. Just as she turned to leave, she heard a crackle noise and a few ambers fell on her shoulders. She was quick to wipe them away, already feeling the burning sensation through her shirt. The noise happened again, this time much louder. She looked up at the roof, the wood planks folding in, ready to fall any moment. It took about half a second for them to cave in, and the only thing Kagome could think of was to cover her head and dive out of the way.

Almost the entire roof was caved in around her. She sat, curled up in the back corner of the room with her arms and hands over her head, leaning forcefully against the wall, trying to scoot as far away from the hot flames as she could. She blinked a few times before removing her arms and looked around. Her eyes searched frantically for someway to get through. Using the blanket as a mask to breathe through, she stood up trying to get a better view. As she realized that she was trapped, the fear that she had been holding in began to creep up on her. She paced back and forth around the small corner, trying to think of anyway to get out. It was getting harder and harder to breathe as she started to cough uncontrollably. After sitting down, the panic began to fill her mind. She pulled her knees to her chest and folded her arms on top of them, with her head resting on the top, trying to calm herself. "I will be ok, don't freak out Kagome…" she said in a low whisper to herself. She tightened her grip around herself, finally knowing that there was no way out of this.

She was going to die.

Then, like a smack in the face, Kagome was reminded of something. It was a memory that Kagome kept locked away in the darkest part of her mind. Slowly the smoke filled her lungs more and more. Soon she was barley conscious.

"Father…" was the last thing she said before she drifted off completely into unconsciousness.

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**A/N: ok so i kno that, yet again, im leaving you with another cliff hanger. i kno you hate me right? lol. well anyways im not too sure if the whole mauro thing was confusing or not so if you have any questions, just ask. well i g2g for now, i look forward to reading your reviews XD**


	34. So Close, Yet So Far Away

_Flash Back_

"Kagome, Kagome, over here honey!" The man said waving his arm over his head. Kagome looked up from the step, a smile immediately forming on her face.

"Daddy!" she replied, sprinting up to him and throwing her small, five year old arms around his legs. He put his hands under her arms and picked her up so that she was eye level with him.

"Ready to go home?" he asked, smiling. Kagome nodded and he began to walk down the street toward their house.

"Where's mommy?"

"She has to stay at the hospital for a few more days with your new baby brother so it's just me and you tonight. How about we watch a movie?" Kagome smiled and kissed her father on the tip of his nose.

_End Flash Back_

The four of them walked the dark path as night had approached. They had been looking for a place to set up for camp the night when Inuyasha suddenly stopped. Miroku, Sango and Shippo just walked past him thinking that once again he was lost in thought about Kagome. After a few moments when Inuyasha didn't follow Sango turned around wondering if Inuyasha even noticed they were walking. When she looked back Inuyasha was frozen in place, a look of intense concentration on his face.

"What is it?" she asked making the other two stop and look as well.

"I can't be positive but I think I smell Kagome…" Miroku and Sango exchanged silent glances and waited for him to talk again. Inuyasha now closed his eyes, concentrating only on Kagome's scent. "Its faint but its slightly north of here." Turning around with his friends trailing closely behind him, Inuyasha ran toward the direction from Kagome's scent. As the scent got stronger, he ran faster and faster with only one thing on his mind. Kagome. He was finally going to get her back. As he ran harder, images of their long awaited reunion played over in his mind. He was going to run full speed up to her and sweep her off her feet, holding her small frame against his while he breathed in her sweet smelling scent. After that he was going to apologize for all the things he did wrong, even if he was still unsure about what scared had her. And after she had forgiven him, which he was quite confident she would, he would give her a very,_ very_ long talk about going off alone and tell her not to ever make him worry like that again. A smile crossed his face as all these thoughts ran over and over in his head.

About fifteen minutes of running later, they came to a path in which Inuyasha slowed down to try and catch her scent. They followed it to a small evergreen tree.

"The scent is old, but we only had to have missed her by a few hours." Inuyasha said holding up the empty ramen cup. "Let's continue to track her…" with that they were off again, following down the path.

Looking back over his shoulder, Inuyasha shouted, "Her scent just got much stronger, I think that this actually might be her."

When they stopped they were standing in front a bush. "Are you sure that she's in there, I mean why would Kagome be in a bush?" Little Shippo whispered as he held up his finger and pointed. Inuyasha took a deep breath and moved some of the branches aside. When he got a clear view, there was a body of woman lying face down in the dirt.

"Kagome!!" Inuyasha yelled as he went to her immediately turning her over to see if she was ok. When he turned her towards him a great weight of worry was lifted off his shoulders. This was defiantly not Kagome and even though she was still missing, as far as they knew she was ok. He peered around the woman, trying to figure out why Kagome's scent radiated off this place. Then he saw her infamous yellow backpack hidden among the branches. Sango went to his side and helped him with the young girl. Holding the woman's head in her lap, Sango gently shook her to get her awake and ask her about the bag.

"Can't we just follow the scent from here?" Sango asked, trying to avoid waking the unconscious woman.

"I can only follow it a few more feet, there is a fire near by and the smoke is screwing up my senses." Although his outside demeanor seemed relatively calm, inside he was very, very upset. He was disappointed in the fact that once again they were so close to getting to her but only missed her by a little while. He was also very angry at the fact that the smoke was messing with his nose and the only clue to finding her now was this woman. Getting more frustrated Inuyasha grabbed the bottle of water from Kagome's bag and dumped the whole thing on the woman's head. Immediately Sango turned around to retort.

"Inuyasha can't you be-" she was interrupted as the woman's eyes slowly opened.

"Where am I? Who are you?" she asked as she sat up on her knees.

"I'm Sango, my friends and I found you here, we were hoping that you could help us out with some information about that yellow bag." The woman turned her head and stared at it wondering why it looked familiar. An image of Kagome helping her flashed in her mind and that's when she remembered about her village. Bolting up she screamed and stared at the very large cloud of black smoke. "My village! It was attacked by Bandits, please help me!" she begged as she latched onto Sango. Miroku and Sango both looked at Inuyasha and after a moment, even though he really didn't want to, he gave them a defeated nod. The woman began to lead them down the path toward the burning homes. Inuyasha strayed behind slowly picking up Kagome's bag and following after his friends. He had wished that just this once he didn't have to be the good guy and they could keep tracking Kagome. "By the time this is over, Kagome's scent and all traces of her will be too old to follow…"

Inuyasha had arrived only a few minutes after Miroku and Sango. They were talking to the group of villagers about the events that had taken place here, who were at the moment, surrounded around an old woman. He noticed that off to the side was a small boy, his back turned away from the group and his stance eager as he stared into the flames. This stroke him as odd, why wasn't this boy with the others where it was safer?

"Hey kid, why are you standing out here alone?" Inuyasha asked walking up behind him.

"I'm waiting to return something to the nice lady and thank her for saving my grandma." He replied not even glancing back at Inuyasha.

"Why don't you step away from those flames a little, it really isn't good to breath in that smoke." Inuyasha smiled as he said this. It reminded him of something Kagome would say. Before she came along, he wouldn't have cared if this kid was dancing in the flames let alone standing near them._ "I guess she is rubbing off on me a little…"_

"No, I can't! I have to wait here and give these to her!" he said this time turning to look at Inuyasha and show him what he was holding in his arms. Inuyasha looked down and in the small arms of the child were a bow and a quiver of arrows. Inuyasha's eyes widened. "She accidentally left them here when she went in the fire to save my grandma…"

"Listen to me very carefully, how long ago did she go in?" Inuyasha was kneeled down in front of the young boy with his hands gripped on the child's shoulders desperately.

"I don't really know that exact time but she has been in there an awful long time…" once the boy said that Inuyasha leapt over him and ran into the flames.

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Kagome sat, leaned against the wall with her head lying gently upon her knees as she clutched her arms around her legs. The expression on her face was soft, but every few seconds her brow would clench and her face would tighten, almost as if in pain. Slowly she drifted farther and farther into unconsciousness until all sense of her surroundings was gone and all that was left were the dark secrets that she kept locked away, hidden, in her mind.


	35. The Corners Of Her Mind

_Flashback_

Long, raven black tresses bounced up and down as little Kagome skipped alongside her father. The two of them were off to the video store to pick out a movie and maybe get some popcorn. The moment the store was in sight, Kagome wiggled her hand from his and ran up to the large glass window, pressing her nose against it as a big smile graced her face.

"Daddy we're here!" she announced. Her father just looked at her, keeping his pace as Kagome waited eagerly. He smirked as he slowed his steps making it as if he was in slow motion. Kagome stood next to the door a pout forming on her face. She wanted to go in now and it was obvious to her that her father was trying to pull her leg. Her bottom lip pouted put as her eyes narrowed. There was no way she was going to stand for this. Running up to him with a determined look on her face, she tugged his pant leg and signaled with her small index finger for him to come down to her level.

"Excuse me." She said clearing her throat and straightening her posture into a _very_ formal position. "You know, Daddy, this is a very serious matter. We can't just pick _any _movie; we have to look carefully at the details. I mean there are so many to choose from and we don't have all day, we gotta be home if mommy comes home. We don't have time for silly kid games." She nodded her head once at the end showing off her pride. He father held back his laugh.

"Well…since that's the case, I guess you're right, we better hurry." He walked in front of her and held open the door. "Ladies first."

"Thank you." She replied walking in, her head held high, still trying to act adult-like. Her father shook his head back and forth with a smile on his face as he followed her in.

After an hour of looking through the countless children's movies, they had a success; The Lion King. Kagome couldn't decide if she wanted to watch The Swan Princess or the new Power Rangers movie. After twenty minutes of debating with her father about why the princess couldn't rescue the prince, she decided against her first choice. They poked around the video section for another few minutes after she had also turned down the Power Rangers movie. It seemed that every time she picked one up she would find something wrong with it. Finally her father suggested The Lion King, reading the back so that she could know what it was about. They checked out and began their walk home.

"Daddy, will you carry me on your shoulders?"

"Hmm…I thought we didn't have time to play _kid's games_?" he asked with a smirk. Kagome's eyes widened, surprised that she forgot she was pretending to be older and immediately agreed with him, turning back around to walk in front of him.

All the sudden Kagome was in the air, being lifted onto her father's shoulders. She smiled as she rested her hands on top of his head, fiddling with his hair every so often. Her father than began to pick up his speed and began to jump and down, making the little girl laugh as she held on tight.

They were passing the park when off in the distance, past the playground, Kagome noticed a group of kids surrounded around something in a large group.

"Daddy let me down right now." Her father was slightly taken back as his daughter said this; afraid that he had sacred her by his playful behavior. He let her down and followed after her as she ran towards the group. It was a group of boys, a few years older than herself, laughing and snickering as they concentrated on the person on the ground. She tapped a boy with brown hair, who looked to be the leader. He ignored her. She did it again and the boy turned swiftly around.

"What?!" he shouted. He looked down surprised at the small girl standing before him.

"I want you to leave that boy alone." The boy exchanged glances with his friends before laughing and turning back to her.

"And why would I do that?" he snickered turning back around to continue to kick the small boy in the middle of the circle, ignoring the words she has said. Once again, Kagome just tapped the boy's shoulder politely. A frustrated sigh came from the leader as he turned to face her once again.

"I said stop." Kagome said sternly. The boy just chuckled to his friends again and began to turn away. This time Kagome discreetly put out her leg, making the boy trip and fall on his face. Muffled laughs were heard from the others as she looked to the boy on the ground.

"Let's go." She said, grabbing his hand and leading the both of them back to her father. A look of amazement was held on his face as he watched the two children walk up to him. He then smiled at his daughter, proud of her that she stood up for the things that she believed in. _"That's my Kagome…"_ he thought as he looked down to her, a confident proud smile plastered on his face.

"Thanks Kagome." A young Hojo said as he wiped away the tears from his cheeks.

"No problem Hojo, now then let's clean these cuts up." She turned to her father. "Can I use your handkerchief daddy?" pulling it from his pocket he gave it to her and she thanked him as she used water from a near by fountain to wet it. She sat with Hojo on the ledge of the large fountain wiping away the blood and dirt from his face. "There all better, you see." Hojo looked at his reflection, internally wondering how bad it looked. He was shocked when all he saw was the slight redness of his wounds.

"Hojo!" he turned his body to see a woman running up to him, one of her hands on top of her hat to keep it from blowing away in the wind. "Hojo dear where have you been?!" she said frantically as she came to his side. She used her hands to examine his face as she looked over the small cuts and bruises. "What happened?"

"Some of the boys from school thought that it would be fun to see how tough I was." Hojo replied, trying to give his mother limited information about what happened, not wanting her to freak out.

"Yea, Hojo was real brave and didn't let them bring him down." Kagome said giving him a small smile, making a red blush set in upon his features.

"Well thank you Mr. Higurashi for helping out my son."

"You shouldn't thank me but Kagome; she was the one who helped him out." Hojo's mother leaned down to Kagome's level and smiled.

"Well then, thank you Kagome for being such a good friend to my boy." She patted her head then grabbed onto Hojo's hand. "Ready?" she said looking down at him. He nodded.

"Thanks for the help Kagome."

"No biggy." She smiled. "See you at school tomorrow, and try not to get into too much trouble." She gave him a small wink before she left with her father. Hojo was stunned for a moment as his blush set in further. Quickly he regained himself and carried on with his mother.

From that moment on, Hojo was completely and utterly devoted to her.

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By the time that they got home, it was time to start dinner. Being the curious type, Kagome insisted on learning how to cook dinner. Her father pulled the stool up next to the counter and explained to her how to make it.

"It's my famous egg omelet." He said proudly. "Between you and me I think this was the only reason your mother fell in love with me." The both of them laughed as he got out the ingredients.

"Father what's it like when you love someone?" Kagome asked suddenly serious. Her father looked at her for a moment and began to try and think of how to explain it to her.

"Well when you're in love with someone…it's like …" he fumbled with his words for a few more moments trying to think of what to say. Finally he knew how to explain it to her. He took her small hands in his and his face changed somehow. She didn't understand then, but if she were to think back to it, she would've known he was thinking about her mother.

"Love is when you find a person that seems to fill a piece of you that you never knew was empty. Its like whenever you are around them you can accomplish anything as long as they are there and when they are away from you, all you can think about its there face. It's something that can save you but at the same time completely destroy you, do you understand?" she stared at him with puzzled eyes, trying to make sense of his words. He smiled at her and ruffled her. "You'll understand someday."

_End Flashback_

As she remembered her father's words and the way his expression was, she remembered something else. She remembered all the times she had with Inuyasha. As she began to go in and out of unconsciousness she began to take in what her father had said. Images of Inuyasha and thier many times together flashed in her head. She remembered the time when she and Inuyasha were alone together at her house when they danced in her room and when they fell asleep on the couch together. She remembered the beach and how much fun they had splashing in the waves, she remembered when they first met and the first time she realized she was in love with him. As she thought of these happy memories Kagome began to think upon the night that she had left, when she thought that Inuyasha had betrayed her. As the scene played out in her mind she noticed things that she hadn't before. It was like two different memories were playing at the same time. The first was Inuyasha trying to attack her and the second was him standing in front of her a deep look of concern and confusion in his eyes. What could it mean…?

"Agh!" the sharp pain awoke her from her temporary coma. Almost as if on its own accord her body quickly moved away from the approaching fire. She examined her seared leg as she realized that the fire had advanced considerably in the last fifteen or so minutes since she blacked out. The fire had almost completely consumed the corner that she had been previously sitting in. Kagome was now standing and scooting closely against the wall towards the other corner. There was a small path that was extremely narrow leading to the corner. She had to hop once or twice over some sparks that were strewn upon the floor, singeing the wood and making it smolder. Finally she reached it. The fire-less space was a great deal larger than the previous corner but was still approaching her at a fast pace. She covered her mouth and tried to control her coughing, determined not to black out again. Once again as she desperately searched for a way out the panic in her heart began to sink in. She was so scared that eventually she turned around to face the wall and began to pound on the wood as hard as she could. Before long her hands were bruised and bleeding. There were splinters in her fingers and as she began to cough harder she feel to her knees, trying to regain some of her strength.

As the thought of death began to once again creep into her mind she could only wish for one thing. She wished that she could see Inuyasha again; to see his beautiful face and to hear his tender voice call out her name. Tears began to fill her eyes, and instead of holding them back like she normally would, she let them go. She cried and cried as she thought of him and of someone else. She thought about her father and his death.

"I don't want to die!" she yelled. "I want to tell Inuyasha that I love him and it doesn't matter to me whether or not he wants Kikyo still! I don't care I just want to see him!" she cried harder pulling at the blanket she still had clamped in her arms. "I don't want to die! Not like him!" her screams got softer and softer as her voice faded into the smoke. "Not like father, please someone save me." She said, her voice becoming a whisper. She lay down, her head lying on the hard wood below her. Tears fell silently down her face as all hope finally died. Her eyes began to droop and slowly and softly she began to sing a song from many years ago, a song her father once sang to her.

"Sleep, pretty baby...do not cry...and i will sing a...lullaby..."

Closing her eyes, she let the darkness consume her.

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**ok since i havnt updated in FOREVER here is two chapters. i hope that it makes you less angry with me ;p. anyways the next chapter will be about her fathers death and im not really sure how i want to write it yet. i hope that you enjoys these, they were fun to write, and i look forward to you reviews. ENJOY**


	36. His Little Angel

_Flashback_

Once the two had eaten their omelets it was time to watch the movie. First things first were to get ready for bed. With her fathers help she brushed her teeth and got into her green footy pajamas. They walked to small living room with a stack of blankets in each of their hands. The bed that they created covered most of the floor, seeing as the living room was quite small due to the fact that they lived in a tiny apartment a few blocks from the hospital. Although it was small and the family had little money, at least they had each other and they were happy.

As the opening credits to the Lion King came on, the phone rang. Kagome paid little attention to the noisy distraction as her father went to answer it. "Hello?" he asked the person on the other line. He immediately smiled at the sound of their voice. "Kagome it's your mother." At the mention of her mother Kagome shot up, forgetting all about the movie that, a few minutes ago, she was so interested in.

"Hi mommy!" she said holding the phone to her small ear. They talked for a little while before her mother asked to speak to her father. "Love you mommy, tell little brother I love him too!" she gave the phone back to her father and sat back by the TV, continuing on as if she had never left.

"So you get to come home in a couple days? That's great!" he smiled through the phone.

'Yes, the doctor said that Souta is doing well and that we might be able to come home soon.'

"I'm glad to hear it. How are you feeling?"

'I'm alright, the doctor says that its going to be a little while before I can completely recover all the blood I lost, but that I'm making good progress.' The line was silent for a few moments before his wife spoke up, afraid that he had hung up. 'You there?'

"Yea, I'm here. I was just thinking…you know when you gave birth to Souta, I was so afraid that I was going to lose you…" his voice broke a little at the end. She paused before replying.

'I will always be there, no matter what happens.'

He smiled. "As will I." With that said he decided that it would be best to at least watch some of the movie with his daughter since he did promise to watch it with her. He hung up with his wife, but not before telling her multiple times that he loved her and to take it easy. By the time he actually sat down with Kagome she was half asleep. Sighing, he picked her up and carried her to her room. As he tucked her in, her big chocolate brown eyes fluttered open. He smiled.

"Daddy will you sing me our lullaby?" she asked rubbing one of her eyes with her fist. He nodded and began to sing as she closed her eyes.

"_Golden slumbers kiss your eyes;  
Smiles await you when you rise.  
Sleep,  
Pretty baby,  
Do not cry,  
And I will sing a lullaby. _

Cares you know not,  
Therefore sleep,  
While over you a watch I'll keep.  
Sleep,  
Pretty darling,  
Do not cry,  
And I will sing a lullaby." 

The melody and the words filled her head as the little girl drifted off into dream land. "Goodnight my Angel." He whispered kissing the top of her forehead and pulling the covers over her arms.

He walked to his bedroom and picked up his book, The Grapes of Wrath. Turning to the page bookmarked, he began to read where he had left off the night before. Slowly his eyes grew tired and the book slipped from his hands and he too, fell asleep.

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It had been many hours since then and as he slowly awoke a strange smell filled his nose. Shaking his head, trying to wake himself up, the scent got stronger.

Smoke!

He shot up from the bed and as he opened his door a huge wave of smoke rushed inside, temporally blinding him. He rubbed his eyes, trying to get them to stop watering before he ran, frantically, to his daughter's room. The door was half way open when he got there. He rushed in and went to the bed. It was empty. He tore off the covers making sure she wasn't in it. He then checked under her bed and in the closet but there was no Kagome. Panic filled every part of him as he desperately searched for his daughter. He then went to the kitchen and there standing like a deer in head lights, was Kagome, her back facing the door. She stood a few feet away from the fire, the flames towering in front of her. In her hand she grasped her teddy bear.

"K-Kagome!" he coughed. His scream didn't even faze her; she still stood there, frozen. "Kagome get away from there!" he tried again. Knowing that she was stunned, he ran to her and forcefully turned her around. It snapped her out of her daze as she quickly realized what was going on.

"Daddy!" she cried, grasping onto him. He picked her up and used his clothed elbow to open the hot, swinging kitchen door. Entering the living room was like entering a maze. Except the maze was on fire. He stood there, holding his daughter close to him as he tried to see through the smoke. A few small snaps were heard and as he looked up pieces of the dry wall were being to crack. Not thinking twice, he threw Kagome from his arms, making her roll across the floor just as parts of the roof caved in on him. She cried out in pain as she felt her left arm throbbing. She stood up, slightly weary as she searched for her father.

"Daddy?!" her eyes scanned the engulfed living room, searching for any signs of movement. Finally the rubble moved slightly, she ran over; still clutching her teddy bear with her good arm. He eyes widened as she knelt down beside him. The only part of him that was visible was his right arm and his head. "Daddy?" she asked quietly, tears in her eyes. His eyes opened and she smiled, glad that he was awake. He tried to move his body from rubble but failed. He was too injured and the debris was too heavy. He looked away from her for a moment, knowing what he had to do. He couldn't help the tears that fell from his eyes as he looked back up as his daughter. Knowing that this would be the last time he'd see her, he tried his best to smile. He tried too speak but the words caught in his throat. He tried again.

"Kagome." He started.

"Yes Daddy?" she asked, confusion still written on her face.

"You know that you're my little Angel right?"

"Mm-hmm." She nodded.

"I want you to do something for me, ok? I want you to find a way to get outside ok baby? Get as far from this building as possible, can you do that?" Kagome starred at him from a few seconds, his words beginning to scare her.

"Daddy, I don't understand, what about you?" she asked. He looked down and closed his eyes for a moment, trying to compose himself. He coughed once before he answered, tears swelling in his eyes once again.

"I will be right behind you, I promise." Kagome bit her trembling lip, still unsure what to do. She didn't want to leave her father, but he said that he would meet up with her. She was still lost in decision when her father gently pressed his hand to her cheek. "Go." He said softly. In his eyes she could clearly see how much he wanted her to leave, to make sure she was safe. She nodded through tears and got up and ran. He watched as his small daughter disappeared into the flames and smoke. "Goodbye…my angel…"

Kagome finally reached the hall way, but the danger wasn't over. She thought, at first that once she opened the front door, that she would be safe, but as she stepped into the hall way only more smoke and flames awaited her. She took one last glance behind her before running out into the inferno. The small hallway was littered with hot, burning debris. Slowly and carefully she had to make her way through it. She ran quickly down the three flights of stairs avoiding whatever debris came in her path. At the end of the stairs she could see the exit just a few feet ahead of her. Only stopping for a second, she ran as fast as she could toward it. She pushed the glass doors open with as much force as possible and the cool fresh air hit her like a brick wall. She stood, stunned and overwhelmed as the fresh clean air filled her stinging lungs. She tried to take a step forward, but staggered. After a few weary steps, she fell, passing out. A firefighter came rushing up to her and picked her and her singed teddy bear off the ground and rushed her to the nearest fire truck.

A few hours later Kagome awoke in a bright white room. The sound of a patterned beeping was all she could make out as she awoke from her coma. She her eyes fully opened she noticed a woman standing by the sink with a clip board in her hand.

"Who…are…you?" at the sound of the small child's voice the woman turned abruptly around to meet her confused gaze. The woman smiled at her, but Kagome could tell that this was no ordinary smile. It was smile of sympathy. Now Kagome was really confused. "Where's my Daddy?" the look on the woman's face, made a small amount of panic fill her heart.

"I'll be right back." Kagome sat alone in the silence trying to take in her surroundings. As the minutes ticked by, Kagome grew more and more afraid. Finally the door opened and in came her mother, still wearing her hospital gown. She ran frantically to Kagome's side, bringing the small girl in her arms while she sobbed. As her mother cried, Kagome's heart began to pound. Something was very, _very_ wrong.

"Mom, where's Daddy, I want to see him." her mothered pulled away from her and looked her straight in the eyes. She tried to think of an easy way to put but realized that this wasn't going to be easy no matter how she said it. She controlled her sobs before she spoke.

"I have to tell you something Kagome and I want you to listen very carefully. Your father…he…he didn't…" she stopped herself and stared at her little girl. She couldn't do it. She didn't want to tell her that she will never see him again, or that he will never sing her their lullaby. She just wished that some how things were different. But she had to face reality. He died. She nor her daughter would never see him again. She closed her eyes, not wanting to see the look on Kagome's face when she told her the news.

"He didn't make it sweetie." Silence filled the room and after a few minutes she opened her eyes to look at her daughter. Kagome sat, staring at her hands and she fumbled with the blankets, not making a sound. "Honey?" it was silent again for several more moments before Kagome finally spoke.

"You're wrong." She said in a whisper so low that her mother almost didn't catch it. "He promised…" she couldn't help but feel bad for her daughter. She was still so young and to have to go through this…

"Come here Kagome." She took Kagome in her arms and at first Kagome was unresponsive, but after a little while she gripped onto her mothers clothing, the heavy sobbing slowly getting louder. The two of them sat like that, crying as they held each other, both mourning the loss of their husband and father. After a few hours Kagome grew tired and fell asleep, leaving her mother alone to her thoughts. She stood next to the glass window, staring out in the dark abyss as the sounds of her daughter's soft coos filled the small room.

"I will always be there, no matter what happens." 

"_As will I…" _

_End Flashback_

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**Oh my gosh, its a miracle! i updated in only 6 days!! arn't you proud of me? i know i am.  
i absolutly loved writing this chapter. it almost even made me cry and i was the one who wrote it! lol.  
well i hope you guys loved it as much as i do and i look forward to getting your reviews. as always, thanks for the support!**

**Wolfhowler245**


	37. Upon Her Cheek

Kagome found herself in darkness. She lay there staring into the abyss thinking about the memory she had just had. She hated that memory and wished that she could just block it out forever. She had been successful for the past few years until the whole fire incident brought it back to her. "The fire, that's right…" she knew that her body was still in danger but she didn't care. The features on her face didn't once resemble any sign of worry or fear, all she could think about was her inability to save her father.

She hated herself for just leaving him like that. "I could have at least tried to lift the stuff off him or made an attempt to help him, I just ran away…like I always do…like I did with Inuyasha…" she then remembered that night when they were in the village, the night Inuyasha attacked her. Once again she played that whole scene over and over in her head. "He wasn't acting himself, I knew that. But still I ran a way instead of helping him." she closed her eyes and clenched her fist. "Ugh! How can I be so dumb to really believe that he was acting rationally! Something was wrong with him; I've been with him so long I know that he would never say those things about Kikyo to me because even if he still loved her, Inuyasha has always kept his words and feelings inside. I'm so stupid!" she slammed her balled fist into the black floor. She took a moment to calm herself and slowly her hands relaxed and she opened her eyes once again. "At least this way, he won't have to worry about me, he can get on with his life and maybe Kikyo can help him get past his demonic side…"

She knew that deep down Kikyo was truly a more powerful priestess then she was and was convinced that if she herself couldn't help Inuyasha, than the only other person that could would be Kikyo. When this thought crossed her mind she was surprised at the feeling she felt. She expected to feel pain or sadness but instead she felt…peaceful. It had caught her completely off guard, this new feeling of serenity that washed over her.

She closed her eyes and let an image of Inuyasha's smiling face consume her mind. She was completely content at the fact that he would be with Kikyo, because maybe if he was with her then he could learn to be happy. And if he was happy then Kagome was content. The only that saddened her was the fact that it wouldn't be _her_ that made him happy and see him smile. The darkness then began to creep steadily toward her. Letting her thoughts slowly fade she whispered out to the two people that she wanted to see most in the world; the two people who she truly felt herself with.

"To the both of you…I'm sorry I couldn't help you…" she choked out, softly closing her eyes once more.

Only one silent tear rolled down the side if her face and she let the darkness of her unconscious take her away from all thought and pain.

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As much as he wanted, Inuyasha couldn't go faster than a jog. He wanted so badly to just sprint up to where Kagome was and make sure she was ok. Unfortunately the smoke from the fire was confusing his senses so if he were to run quickly he might miss her. He stopped his slow jog to try to breath in the air for any traces of her scent. It was lost in the smoke but maybe he could find her scent on the ground. Getting close to the ground he began to sift through all the different smells when, after searching several feet, he picked hers up. It was faint and if he didn't work slowly and carefully he would defiantly lose it.

It took almost three times the time as it normally should to get to burning hut. By the time he got there the smoke had already made his lungs start to burn and made his eyes blurry. He had only been in the smoke for fifteen minutes or so and it had already started to take its toll on him, a half-demon. He couldn't imagine how Kagome was getting through this. That thought only made him worry more and instead of assessing the situation first he burst through the front door blindly. He stopped once inside and immediately covered his mouth with the sleeve of his kimono. An entire black wave of smoke rushed out the moment the front part of the house was knocked out (thanks to Inuyasha).

He coughed once before screaming her name. "Kagome!" he coughed once more and tried again, this time keeping his sleeve over his mouth, making his shouts slightly more muffled. "Kagome! You're in here aren't you?" He looked around the large room, trying to find any trace of her. Walking carefully, he went to the opposite side of the room, trying to see if there was any clue to her location. After searching the room thoroughly he made his way to the hall way. From what he could make out there were four different rooms leading from the hallway. _"Better start with the first one…"_

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Inuyasha had to stop his search towards the end of the third room because a chain of aggressive coughs had made him immobile for a few moments. He stood with his hand over his mouth coughing violently wishing that it would end soon so that he could find Kagome.

"_There's only one room left…"_ he could only pray that Kagome was in there, somehow hidden from the flame and smoke that engulfed the mansion. Once he could breathe relatively normal he made his way to the fourth room at the end of the hallway. He hesitated as he saw how overcome the room was with fire. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, forgetting all about the smoke and screamed out her name as loud as he possibly could. Inuyasha waited a few seconds and when he got no reply he rushed in. through the black haze he could see that parts of the roof had already caved in and that there were very few spots that lay untouched by the fire. Holding his arm over his head, trying shield himself from the heat, he squinted his eyes and looked desperately for any sign of her body. Just as he was about to assume the worst he caught sight of small form curled up in the right corner of the room. As fast as he could, Inuyasha leapt from his side of the room and landed carelessly next to her. A wave of relief swept over him as he realized that he had finally found her. But he knew the danger wasn't over. Inuyasha had no idea how much smoke she had already inhaled and in this light he couldn't tell if she'd been burnt. He swung off his haori and wrapped it around the limp girl. He picked her up bridal style and began to make his way out of the room. He successfully made it out of the hallway but when he made it to the exit; he noticed that roof had almost completely caved in, in front of the door. With Kagome in his arms like this, there was no way he could use tetsiaga. Making a quick decision he gathered Kagome up in one arm and used the other to punch out the wall. Once they were through he readjusted Kagome in both his arms and ran toward the nearest water source.

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All the villagers along with Miroku Sango and Shippo all waited anxiously on the outskirts of the village impatiently trying to look through the smoke for any sign of Inuyasha or Kagome. Shippo squinted his eyes and stood up making his way closer to the burning village. In the distance he saw a shape of a man running through the smoke.

"I see him! Its Inuyasha!" he yelled, signaling Miroku and Sango to come closer. Out of the flames and the smoke came Inuyasha running full speed towards them with Kagome in his arms. Not even wasting a moment to tell them what was going on; he jumped clear over his friends and the villagers into the forest. Shippo stood there with a completely puzzled look on face, staring at the least spot he had seen Inuyasha and Kagome. Not really understanding, the little fox demon got upset.

"Why that Inuyasha! He's so selfish! He couldn't even let us see if she was ok or not!"

"Inuyasha is probably getting her to a place away from the smoke, we should follow." Miroku said as Kirara transformed.

"Oh…" Shippo replied, feeling like an idiot and jerk. He jumped on the back of Kirara with Sango and Miroku and headed off to find them.

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Inuyasha stopped once he had found the small stream from before and gently laid Kagome onto the dirt. His breaths were heavy as he looked at her face. Grabbing her shoulders as gently as possible, he began to shake her trying to wake her up. She didn't. Deciding to try something else, he took his hand and began to tap the side of her cheek.

"Wake up Kagome, wake up…" he chanted over and over. That didn't work either. He then noticed that her chest wasn't moving and hesitated before checking if she was breathing. He faltered and little more and then took deep breath before leaning his ear down to her mouth. Realization hit him hard as she stumbled away from her. His eyes stayed open, wide with shock, and his bottom lip trembled_. "No…this cant be…" _

He scrambled over to her and began to shake her body violently trying to get her to open her eyes. It was then that he remembered something that Kagome had tried to teach him and his friends a few months back. She said it was some way to get a person to breathe called CP…something. Unfortunately he wasn't really paying attention so all he knew was that you were supposed to push on their chest a few times and breathe into their mouth then repeat. _"I don't really know how to do this but I've got no other choice…"_ with that he leaned down and applied pressure to her chest about four times then took in a big strong breath and poured it into her mouth. He glanced up and saw no reaction in her face and did it again, this time pushing down a few more times.

By the time Miroku and Sango got there Inuyasha was on his fourth round of doing this. They stared as their friend desperately tried to keep his cool. At the end of the sixth time, Miroku slowly walked toward and Inuyasha and rested his hand on Inuyasha's shoulder. The hanyou only glanced up for a second before continuing to push down on her chest. Miroku's heart went out to his friend but he knew that Inuyasha would do this all night if someone didn't step in. As gently as he could he wrapped his arms around Inuyasha and began to pull him away, all the while Inuyasha struggling and screaming at Miroku to let him go. Inuyasha was only able to breathe one last breath into her before Miroku dragged him away. Sango could only watch as the two struggled. Her eyes were full of tears and she had one hand draped over her trembling lips.

"What are you doing Miroku! Let me go!" He shouted. "I can save her, I know I can! Just give me a chance! Stop this; let me go I tell you, let me go!!"

"Inuyasha you have to accept the fact that Kagome is gone!" Miroku said shouting over him. "I know that its hard-"

Then everyone stopped.

Everyone stood, silently afraid that what they had just heard was a dream. Slowly Inuyasha turned around to look at the frail girl start to cough violently. In one instant he was by her side, pulling her trembling body into his lap. Everyone sat in silence as they watched Kagome take in deep gasps or air and listened to her hoarse pained coughs. As terrible as it sounded, to Inuyasha, it was the best sound he had ever heard. Her coughing attack lasted about five minutes and when it was over, her eyes halfway opened.

"Father…?" she asked, her voice rough and quiet.

"No, no Kagome, its me Inuyasha." His voice on the other hand was raised and almost desperate. Her face was pale and beads of sweat had formed all around her face. She looked weakly up at him, a hint of confusion showing in her eyes, before she regained what she could of herself and smiled up at him. 

"Oh…" she then closed her eyes and sank deeper into his protective arms. Inuyasha stared down at her as her heavy breathing began to calm. Every once in awhile it would falter and she'd cough but soon after it would go back to normal. Inuyasha took in her sickly figure and looked underneath his robe of the fire rat. Most of her clothes were burnt away or charred by smoke and embers. Her hands were at her sides and there were bits of wood among the blood and cuts. Grasped tightly in her right hand was a piece or torn, burnt fabric. Inuyasha gently took it out her hand and laid it on his lap. Inuyasha then looked at her leg, immediately seeing the severe burn.

Just as he was about to wrap her up once again, he noticed the medium sized scar on the side of her mid section. That part of Kagome's clothes had been burnt away, leaving a clear view of the slightly purplish mark that cut across her side. It was healed by now but this is the first Inuyasha had seen of it since the day Kagura had attacked them. He realized he had forgotten to ask Kagome about it the day at the beach. On that day he noticed that she still had her bandages on but was too distracted with the fun they were having to ask her about it. Looking at it now, he wished he had seen how it was healing. Then Inuyasha felt a slight tap on the shoulder. When Inuyasha looked up her saw Miroku leaning over him with a happy, yet sympathetic look on his face.

"It's almost dawn and we have to get back to the village. Those people still need our help and we have to get Kagome's things." Inuyasha told Miroku to go on ahead and that he was going to take his time bringing Kagome over. Miroku, Sango and Shippo hopped back onto Kirara and headed once again for the village.

Inuyasha sat with Kagome in his arms, watching as the sun came up. He held her close to his face and as he stared at her, one tear fell upon her cheek.


	38. Anxious, Yet Nervous

Naraku walked into the room and found Mauro leaning lazily against the western wall with Kanna's mirror lying flipped upward on the ground near him

Naraku walked into the room and found Mauro leaning lazily against the western wall with Kanna's mirror lying flipped upward on the ground near him. He took in a deep, annoyed breath and walked over to him. The moment Naraku took his first step, Mauro's eyes snapped open and looked up at him.

"Sleeping on the job are we?" Naraku asked sarcastically. Mauro just grunted and cracked the crick in his neck.

"I need rest Naraku, I've been using my powers constantly." He paused to stretch his arms before continuing with a sly grin. "Besides if you want my third faze to be any good, you're going to have to give me some time to build up my power in order for it to go the way you have planned."

Naraku just smirked and picked up Kanna's Mirror. Using his sleeve, he dusted the reflection off and glanced once at Mauro. He turned back to the mirror with a new smile forming on his lips, "Enjoy your time with him Kagome, for it won't last much longer." A small chuckle escaped his throat before he turned and walked out of the room, leaving Mauro to sit in silence.

--

As she opened her eyes, bright white lights blinded her vision, causing her to lift her left arm over her eyes for protection. As they adjusted, Kagome's eyes focused on something else. It was attached to her arm starting from her hand and leading somewhere Kagome couldn't see yet. It was thin and long and it looked kind of see-through…a cord maybe? But before she could figure out what it was, a large force had placed itself upon her, crushing her already painful chest. Kagome tried to speak as her eyes still tried to adjust to the blinding light. She turned her head toward the thing that was pushing down on her, intent on using whatever strength she had to get it off her. Taking her unattached arm, she tried to push the heavy weight. She was so weak and groggy that she didn't even make it budge; it did however immediately shift its weight so it could look up at her.

"Oh Kagome!" her mother cried, once again crushing herself against her daughter's sore body. Not quite knowing what to do Kagome just sat there staring with a look of complete confusion plastered on her face. A few seconds later Mrs. Higurashi sat back up and used her finger tips to wipe away the tears in her eyes. Kagome stared at the women as her mind raced around in circles. What was this place? What happened? How did she get here? So many unanswered questions filled her mind that she almost didn't notice that her mother was now gently shaking her shoulder.

"Kagome? Kagome, are you alright? It's me-Mom…" Kagome glanced at the woman's eyes, recognition sweeping over her.

"M-mom?" she said her voice sill coarse and breaking. Her throat was terribly dry and it hurt to talk.

"Yes it's me honey, I'm here." Mrs. Higurashi tried to use kind comforting words to soothe her daughter. It was quite obvious she hadn't realized what was going on.

"Where am I?" Kagome asked looking around the room. She followed the thin, see-through cord up to a couple a pouches hanging on a rod; some sort of clear liquid filled them. She then glanced at the large machine only a foot away from her head. It beeped every few seconds, a sound Kagome didn't notice before, while a small line bounced up and down.

"We're in the hospital…" her mother paused, a look of concern flashing her features. "Don't you remember?"

It was then that Kagome looked back at her mother. The two of them stared at each other for a good several minutes while Kagome racked her brain for some tiny clue to what was going on. Before she could make a conclusion, the doctor came in with a clip board in hand.

"Ah, Ms. Higurashi you're finally awake. You gave us a little scare there for a few hours." He came in and began to check over all the charts and machines in the room. Kagome just waited and watched until he was finished. He then moved to the foot of her bed and glanced quickly at the information on his clip board.

"My name is Dr. Yoku." He said leaning over to shake her hand. Kagome just stared and pulled her hand back. After all she was still adjusting to all this and frankly, she was quite scared. Of course the doctor understood and shook her mothers hand instead. "When you were brought in her three days ago, you…" the Doctor trailed off at the end, noticing Kagome's shocked expression. _"I've been unconscious for three days?!"_ Yoku gave a wary glance at Mrs. Higurashi before continuing. Mrs. Higurashi gently grasped Kagome's hand, snapping her out of her thoughts. "Anyways, when you were brought in here, you had trauma to both your trachea and your lungs. Actually the damage was so severe that I'm surprised you were breathing when you came in…if that young man hadn't resuscitated you, then you might not be alive right now." Kagome's eyes went wide as something triggered in her mind…a memory of some kind.

She remembered being hot, the cool air around her was soothing. There was something wrapped around her, constricting her arms at her sides. Something else held her up, it was trembling and when she looked up, she could only make out an outline through her blurred eyes. She blinked once and as they focused she was staring up at man with golden eyes and silver hair. There were several other things she noticed like the cute doggy ears on the top of his head, but what really caught her attention was the intensity and fear in his eyes. _"Kagome…"_ the sound of his voice was the last thing she heard.

Kagome shot up from the stiff hospital bed, making both her mother and the Doctor jump. She grabbed the blankets and swung her feet over the side and began tearing at all the cords and tubes attached to her.

"Kagome what's wrong? What are you doing?" her mother yelled, frantically trying to stop her. The doctor stepped in next trying to get hold of her hands that swung wildly around searching for anything to yank off her constricted body.

"Inuyasha! I must see Inuyasha!" she screamed, struggling against the doctor's firm grip.

"Kagome you can't leave right now! Inuyasha is fine, you'll get to see him sooner if you stop and calm down!" her mother said, trying to reason with her. Kagome slowly stopped her arms and as she took a reassuring glance at her mother, began to climb back into bed. The doctor let go and put two fingers to the bridge of his nose, sighing. As Kagome adjusted herself, she began to take in long desperate breaths. It felt like her lungs were closing. Fear swept over her as she lifted her hand to her throat.

"That's from the trauma to your lungs. Though they have gotten better, they still aren't completely healed. Don't worry it will pass in a few minutes. For the next few weeks you should try to take it easy though." He said giving her a small cup of water. Kagome downed it as soon as it reached her hands. He looked back at Mrs. Higurashi and nodded. "I can see you guys need some time, just press the service button when you're ready."

Once Kagome finished the last drop a few small coughs escaped her mouth burning her throat even more than it already was. Her mother got her another glass of water and she drank that one a bit more slowly. Once she was done she set the cup down and leaned against the back of her bed, waiting for her mother to explain.

--

She was in the hospital for a total of five days; three of the days she was unconscious and the other two she spent anxiously waiting to get out of there. She spent most of her time staring out at the large window thinking or doodling little flowers and hearts on bits of paper. Other than that she slept or talked with her mother. Every time her mother would come, Kagome would ask how Inuyasha was doing and how he was dealing with being stuck inside her house all day. Kagome knew that he couldn't come to the hospital because he looked too suspicious and would attract unnecessary attention. But instead of answering her questions her mother would casually change the subject telling her daughter things like "you should be resting", "don't worry about it too much, focus on healing" and other stuff like that. After a while Kagome grew suspicious, she was sure that knowing Inuyasha he would at least have had her mother ask her questions about how she was doing, and truth be told, she was surprised that he hadn't tried to break into the hospital yet. Though she felt as if something was up, Kagome just brushed it off, thinking that the sooner she got better the sooner she would be able to talk to Inuyasha herself.

Though she was only cooped up in that small room for two days, at least conscious anyway, Kagome felt that her head would explode if she didn't get out of there soon, so naturally, she was exited as ever to learn that she would be going home. Just as she was getting ready to leave the room, the doctor insisted on getting Kagome a wheel chair and though she protested, she was wheeled out of the hospital, blushing bright red and feeling like an idiot.

The cab pulled right up to the curb in front of the shrine stairs. Kagome fidgeted with her thumbs while her mother went around to help her out. With Kagome's duffle bag draped on one shoulder, Mrs. Higurashi helped her daughter out of the car. While leaning on her mother, Kagome began to make her way up the shrine stairs. She only got about a quarter of the way when she had to stop and rest. It wasn't until that moment that Kagome realized how many stairs there were. Kagome inwardly cursed her damaged lungs, angry that they wouldn't let her go any faster up the long steps. The sooner she got this over with the sooner she saw Inuyasha. With that new determination Kagome and her mother walked the rest of the way up the stairs, only stopping one more time before reaching the top.

If Kagome thought she was out of breath before, that was nothing compared to what she felt now. Her lungs heaved in long desperate breathes as she grasped her chest. She had to put almost all her weight on her mother just to stay standing. It was then that her little brother came running up. The look on his face was happy at first, but once he took in her figure he sped up his pace, his smile fading away.

"Kagome, are you ok? Is there anything I can do?" he asked desperately. Kagome just kept heaving.

"Here Souta take this so I can help your sister to her room." Mrs. Higurashi handed the young boy the duffle bag and shifted her body so that she was practically carrying Kagome. After several more minutes they both made there way into the house. Kagome was relieved that this obstacle was over, but just as she thought it was done she looked up at the remaining flight of stairs that led to her room. _"It's official, I freaking hate stairs!"_ she thought as they once again began to climb. Of course these weren't as hard and Kagome was happy when they reached the top. She had her mother stop just before opening her door. She wanted to enter on her own, with out any help_, "Inuyasha will be less worried this way."_ She thought as her hand lingered over the door knob. She took in a deep breath to calm her nerves, why was she so nervous anyways? Deciding that two breathes were better than one, she filled her sore lungs with oxygen once more as she opened the door, anxious to see her silver-haired hanyou.

Kagome just stood there, her hand still on the knob of the door. She scanned her room numerous times thinking that Inuyasha was hiding under her bed or something. A few moments went by before it began to sink in_. "He isn't here…" _she thought for sure that he would be waiting her arrival just as anxious as she was. _"He's not here!"_ she repeated to herself. Kagome then turned her head so she could give her mother a confused glance.

Her mother just gently shook her head back and forth giving her a sympathetic smile. This confirmed it. Inuyasha wasn't here. At first she had asked her mother if Inuyasha had merely gone out to collect his thoughts but when she told her that the last time she saw him was when he brought Kagome through the well, all Kagome's hopes of seeing him vanished. He hadn't even tried to find out if she was ok or not. This just couldn't be. Kagome just turned away from her mother and closed the door softly behind her. She walked to her bed and laid down on her stomach, her face buried in her pillows with her arms limp at her sides. "Why? Why aren't you here Inuyasha?" she asked quietly to herself as her emotions began to take over. Her heart felt like it had dropped into the pit of her stomach, she was disappointed and more than that, she was surprised. No matter how angry Inuyasha was at her that she left with Kouga, this was just not like him. A soft knock came from her door, stopping her thoughts.

"Come in." she said, her voice still muffled in her pillows. Slowly, Souta entered the room and immediately knew that this was not the time to talk to his sister.

"Here's your stuff from the hospital." He said laying her bag beside her bed. "Feel better, 'kay Kags?" with that he left and closed the door behind him.

Kagome stared at the blue bag for along time before gently sitting herself up and going through it. She sat, leaning against her back board, trying to use as little energy as possible as she opened the zipper. First she took out her yellow back pack, which had taken up most of the room. Deciding she would go through that last, she delicately pushed it off to the side, trying not to mess up the bandages that were wrapped around her cut up hands, and continued to rummage through her belongings. Next she pulled out several pieces of paper with random words and doodles on it. She looked at one of them that she remembered giggling about after she drew it. It was picture of two ice cubes, chilling on the beach, cheesy smiles and sunglasses on their cartoon faces as they sat in a small pool of water, melting. Underneath them the phrase "We're so cool, ice cubes are jealous" was written in funky lettering. _"Wow was I bored."_ Kagome thought sticking her drawings back in the bag.

The next thing Kagome drew out was a plastic bag, labeled _HIGURASHI, KAGOME_ in big, black, bold lettering. She undid the zip lock and pulled out her burnt up school uniform, her charred socks and a smaller bag of "personal" items. Kagome placed them on her lap, the scent of smoke slightly filling her nose, and pulled out the last artifact that was in the bag. It was the bottle of her sacred jewel shards. They still sparkled just like always, but Kagome didn't concentrate on the tiny pink fragments, what she focused on was the small folded piece of paper that was still crumpled up against the glass. She gently pulled it out but hesitated before opening it. She knew that once she read it, all her disappointment, fear and confusion that had been lingering over her for the past two and half days would come spilling out. Closing her eyes, and taking in a pained breath, she unfolded the paper. She opened her eyes and read it.

_You looked so serene there in your sleep that I couldn't bare to wake you. This flower is called the moon lily. My mother told me about it. The moon lily is supposed to only bloom on the night of a full moon when there is love in the air. The moon lily signifies kindness and trust. When I first saw you smile, this flower came into my head. It is exactly like you. Beautiful yet impressive, kind yet firm and of course loving. I want you to know that I love you and in a way this flower represents that. Remember that. _

_Always, Inuyasha_

Kagome re-read past of it out loud. "I want you to know that I love you…remember that…" she stopped and stared out through her window at the sacred tree. _"If you love me Inuyasha, then why aren't you here? Do you still care for me?"_

**So heres chapter 38! i hope that you liked it and dont worry the next chapter will explain why inuyasha isnt there and stuff. anyways once again for the long wait, fixing my computer took much longer than expected. if you have any questions dont be afraid to ask**

**Wolfhowler245**

**PS hey you see that little button in the corner, it wants you to press it. something about reviewing stories or something like that, i dunno but to me it seems like a good idea to check it out. come on you know your tempted to find out what happens XP**


	39. Uncertain

It had been two days since Kagome had come home and she was determined to make sure her family knew she was ok. The only time they had caught on that she was upset about Inuyasha was that first night she was home. That night had been a rough one for Kagome. Not only was it hard to sleep from her injuries, she couldn't keep Inuyasha out of her mind. So many thoughts had run through her head about their relationship that she couldn't help but think about him. She had tried to sort things out in her mind, trying to come up with reasons as to why Inuyasha was acting the way he was.

"_Maybe he thought I would be safer with Kouga and doesn't want to see me in case that if I do go back, I'd hopefully rejoin Kouga instead of him…"_ she thought to herself taking a bite of her cereal. _"No that's ridiculous, Inuyasha hates Kouga." _she was doing it again, trying to find any reason, no matter how ridiculous, to explain Inuyasha's actions. Feeling trapped in her house she rinsed out her bowl and spoon and went to take a walk outside hoping that the fresh air would clear her thoughts.

--

Waiting. Staring. Sighing.

This was about all that Inuyasha had done since he had gotten back from Kagome's time. Obviously he was deep in thought about something and for the first few days Miroku and Sango had tried to talk to him and convince him to go see how Kagome was doing, but he always just grunted and looked the opposite way.

"Come on Inuyasha, we all know that you are worried about her, why don't you just go check, maybe she is back at her home now…" Miroku inquired, trying to intrigue the half-demon into going to visit their friend. When Inuyasha once again ignored them, Miroku just gave up trying for the day and let Sango continue to try and coax him into going.

While Miroku was calm and understanding, Sango was not. This had been going on for several days already and she had had enough.

"Inuyasha I know you can hear me, so listen up. You need to get down from that stupid tree and go see Kagome, not just for the sake of your own moping but for ours too. I don't know if you noticed this, but unfortunately _you _are the _only _one who can pass through the well; therefore it has to be you to go see her…." She soon realized that Inuyasha was intentionally ignoring her and that's when she got really mad. "Ugh!" she stomped down an angry foot and let out a very frustrated grunt. "Fine if you won't go see her, then-then... I will!!" Sango then marched herself towards the well with an uncertain Miroku right behind her. She stopped and hesitated at the well's opening.

"Come on Sango don't be too hasty, while I appreciate your efforts, you and I both know that jumping into that well isn't going to work." He said placing a wary hand on her shoulder. "Now why don't we just forget about the whole Well idea before you get hurt." Knowing he was right, Sango took a deep breath and let her head hang low towards the well. "There, there, you see no harm don-" but before he could fully finish Sango had whipped around and flung her boomerang at the unaware Inuyasha. "Stupid, stubborn _DOG_!" the scream was soon followed by a loud crash sound.

After the dust cleared, there was nothing left of the branch Inuyasha had been previously sitting on. "What are you trying to do, _kill _me?!" bellowed Inuyasha from a higher limb. Sango didn't reply, she just caught her Hiraikotsu and marched angrily off towards the village. Miroku and a very frightened Shippo stood beside the well, watching Sango's figure get smaller as she walked away.

"You know, Sango kind of reminds me of Kagome sometimes…" Shippo pondered out loud to his friend.

Miroku replied, scratching the back of his head nervously. "You have no idea…" realizing that Inuyasha wasn't going to change his mind, the two followed after their very frustrated friend.

Inuyasha on the other hand, gave them a "Feh" and leapt to a nearby tree to resume his position of waiting, staring and sighing. Once comfortable, Inuyasha almost instantly continued to his previous thoughts, this time also incorporating what his friends had been saying for the past several days.

"What, do they think I am stupid or something?" Inuyasha said aloud, talking to himself while deepening the irritated expression that had been plastered on his face for the past several days. "Of course I know I am the only one who can pass through the well…" he sat, high in the tree, letting the breeze gently play with his untamed silver hair while he once again pondered on what action to take. _"I want to go see her, more than they could ever realize…she was so badly wounded…"_ soon his thoughts drifted more towards Kagome's own well being, rather than what he originally intended to think about. His memory flashed back to the night he saved her from the fire. He remembered, all to well, how her body looked. It was so pale even though her body was well above warm from being so close to the flames. Some of her clothing was burnt revealing most of her midriff and a bit of her arm. Although as frail as her body looked, Inuyasha couldn't get her face out of his mind as they passed through the Well. The shimmering blue light reflected off her pale face, showing him her exact expression. He had never seen Kagome look so calm and content as he had in those few moments.

_Flash Back _

_Once through the Well, he made his way to her house, only pausing for a moment as he passed the sacred tree. He stared at the branches then back at the unconscious girl in his arms. It was then that he made his decision. His era was much too dangerous for someone as pure and innocent as Kagome. Not only that, but _he_ himself was much too dangerous for her. That was proven that night so many days ago, when Kagome had ran off, fear obviously apparent on her face. Although he was not positive if it was because of something he said, or some sort of trick of her mind that made her react to him that way, he never wanted to see that expression grace her features again. Besides those two factors, who knew if Kagome even wanted to come back? The last time they had talked, she acted like she never wanted to see him again. What if Kagome still felt that way? No. Inuyasha didn't want to dwell on that, he wanted to leave her with the memory of her still loving him._

_After making up his mind, he walked to her back door and once again paused before walking onto the house, for he knew the moment her family saw Kagome like that, she would be whisked away from his arms and rushed to the hospital. He knew that this was his chance to say goodbye. As he stared into her face, a strange feeling appeared in his stomach and he felt the huge lump in his throat. He tried his best to ignore the urge to change his mind and take her back to the feudal era as he leaned his face down to hers to nuzzle her soft neck once more. Inuyasha moved his head just a little bit up so his lips were next to her ear. "I love you, my sweet Kagome…" he then moved his lips to her forehead and gently pressed them to her face. Inuyasha then opened up the sliding glass door to give her back to her family._

End Flash Back

Inuyasha shook his head back and forth, trying to get those images from his head. His frustration soon turned to anger as he punched the wood below him. He had only been away from Kagome a few days, and even that seemed almost unbearable. He had to constantly remind himself that it was for her own benefit that she stayed where she was safe. The constant reminders from his friends didn't help either, all it did was encourage his desire to go and get her. Knowing that his attempts to forget her were futile, he just leaned back against the tree and let himself get lost in memories once more.

--

By now Kagome had walked around the entire shrine, avoiding one place in particular, but since her mother said she couldn't go past the steps, Kagome was running out of places to escape too. She decided that avoiding the Well House was just a way to prolong the thoughts that had been plaguing her mind. As she opened the Well House door a new anger began to materialize within her. She was so confused and so frustrated at the fact that Inuyasha just left her like that. Even if he didn't care for her, there was no excuse as to why he never explained why he left in the first place. She walked hastily to the edge of the Well, not quite sure of what she was going to do, but only knew that her anger and resentment was growing and that she needed away to let it out. The only thing that she could come up with was to go back to the feudal era and confront Inuyasha about his actions, after all technicality she did as told and never went past the shrine steps right? Although she knew it was a technicality and that her mother would be extremely upset with her, Kagome couldn't sit in the house any longer and wait for him. She had to go there and find out exactly what their relationship was. She had been confused for too long now, and she knew that most of this was caused by the events that had been happening in the past month or so. Regardless of what happened in the past, Kagome knew she still loved him and for the sake of her own heart she had to find out exactly the way Inuyasha felt.

Slowly as she could, she sat on the edge of the Well, and with her hands balled into fists she took a deep breath and plunged into the warm, mystical light.

She landed ever so gracefully on the other side and when she looked up she saw the familiar blue skies of the feudal era. As careful as possible, being still injured and all, she made her way to the top of the old wooden Well. Once on soft grass, the physical labor of her small journey overwhelmed her and she had to take a moment to sit down and rest her still badly injured lungs. She only coughed once and it didn't take long for her breathing to become normal again, something she was very proud of. The meant that sometime soon she would be back to full health again.

With her new found encouragement, she began to make her way towards Kaede's Village.

Inuyasha on the other hand hadn't moved from his spot in the tree and as the breeze once again flowed past him, a familiar scent floated into his nose, making goose bumps on the back of his neck. Could that scent actually be real? Surely the scent had to be coming from his kimono from the last time she wore it, right?

No.

As he sat up and took in a deep breath he realized that the scent was new and that Kagome had reentered feudal Japan once more. It was something that he only hoped for in the deepest part of his mind.

**Ok so I know that many of you are probally pretty peeved at me, and I want to tell you all that I am really sorry. Im not trying to make excuses, but in all honesty I had no idea how I wanted to write this chapter and every time I sat down to write it, MAJOR writers block interferred with my Update plans, so I was stuck. Even now I am extremely unhappy with how this chapter turned out, I dont know why really, I guess I just wanted so much more out of it. I am even considering rewriting it later. Anyways Im not really sure if its good or not so dont be afraid to tell me that when you guys reveiw. Once again I apologize for the late update. I hope you all can forgive me. **


	40. Always

Kagome wasn't exactly sure of what she was going to say to Inuyasha but she knew that it would probably come out harsh. Sighing, she picked up her pace toward the familiar village, realizing that if she didn't do it quick she might chicken out and return home. _"Home, that's right",_ she never did leave her mother a note or anything. _"Perfect on top of all this, Mom's going to be angry with me. Joy." _With that positive note Kagome quickened her pace even more, making her stride into a brisk power walk.

Inuyasha had been jumping from tree top to tree top trying to locate Kagome. With the help of his demonic powers it didn't take him long to spot her. She was walking quite fast and it looked like she was very angry. Inuyasha also noticed that she didn't have her yellow bag with her which meant she wasn't planning to stay. Inuyasha's ears flattened on top of his head a little at that thought. He shouldn't be saddened by this; this only meant that she was returning home where she was safe. That's what he still wanted right? Grunting at his own indecision Inuyasha took a deep breath before taking one giant leap so that he was directly in front of Kagome.

He had expected Kagome to be surprised yes, but he didn't expect her to freak out the way she did. The moment he landed, her eyes bulged and a small gasp escaped her mouth and then she fell backwards, landing on her butt with a small _thud_. To be honest Inuyasha had to hold back his chuckle when he saw her expression.

"You okay Kagome?" she looked up at him and met his gaze. She immediately saw the humor on his face and narrowed her eyes at him.

"You know that wasn't very funny." She said with a slightly pouted expression on her face.

"I wasn't laughing." He said as he had to push his chuckle deeper down in his throat. He loved it when she made her pouty face, it was just so cute. It reminded him of how things used to be. Noticing that she was still on the ground, he extended his hand out to her, offering her his help. "Here." He said with a small smile.

For a moment Kagome almost took his hand, but she quickly reminded herself of the reason she came here, so instead of taking his hand she got up herself and began to walk around him. Inuyasha was some-what stunned when she didn't take his help, but he just assumed that she was still peeved for scaring her. Kagome knew that Inuyasha was following behind her as she slowly made her way closer to the village. At this point she was quite confused with herself. Wasn't her whole reason for coming here to talk to Inuyasha? If that was so, then why was so heading toward Kaede's? Was she afraid of what he would say? She stopped walking to let herself think about what she was going to do. She dropped her head, letting her bangs fall in her eyes as she contemplated her task.

When they first started walking Inuyasha had been almost right on her heels but as they walked longer, Inuyasha slowed his pace so that he was much farther away from her. He was confused to say the least. As they walked he heard her small sighs and grunts, a sign that she was annoyed, so he backed off. But then she just stopped and didn't make a sound. He stood there, not sure what he should do or say, and waited for her to do something. After several minutes passed, Inuyasha couldn't take the awkwardness any longer.

"Kagome are yo-" He was interrupted by her small quite voice.

"Why…" was all she said.

"What are-" he was once again interrupted but she whipped around this time.

"Why did you just leave me there?!" she yelled as her hair fell softly down around her, framing her face. Tears budded her eyes and her mouth was in a firm line as she stared into his eyes. "Tell me why! Why did you not come back for me?!"

Inuyasha just stood there, almost dumbfounded. He shifted his eyes to the ground so he didn't look at her. She waited patiently (well as patiently as she could) for his answer. When he didn't reply after a few moments, Kagome walked hurriedly up to him so that she was only about a foot away from his body.

"Why Inuyasha?! Tell me!" once again he stood silent, avoiding her eyes. Frustrated Kagome tried a different approach. "Is it because you want to become full demon and I'm in your way?!" she got no response, so she tried one that was slightly overboard. "Or is it because I'm not as good as _Kikyo_?!" his ear twitched when she said that name. She debated whether or not to ask him straight up if it was because he didn't love her, but she shuddered at the thought and decided that continuing on the Kikyo subject was easier. "That must be it." She stopped yelling now. "That must be the reason…Well then if that was it, just tell me so that you can go gallivanting off to her like before." Her words came out harsh like she thought they would, and as she continued her rant, she almost started to believe herself and what she was saying. This only brought the tears back to her eyes, but like before they didn't fall. If this was a sign that she was stronger now then she was before, she didn't feel like it.

There was still no responses from Inuyasha which only made her angrier and made her start yelling once more. "Tell me Inuyasha! Just come out and say it!-"

"It was because I love you!" Kagome stood shocked by his words, and as she stared into her eyes, it was her now that couldn't speak. "It was because I was worried about you, okay?!" he stared at her for a few seconds more before he let out a loud frustrated grunt and stormed away from her. He left Kagome standing motionless, in shock.

"Dammit." He was mad at himself for letting his emotions get the better of him, but more that Kagome actually thought those things about him. After all they've been through and after all the things he's said to her, how could she ever think he was so selfish? These thoughts only made him even angrier.

Kagome on the other hand was trying to process what he just said. She couldn't. At least not yet anyway. Before when she was at her house, she didn't even think that the reason he gave was a possibility. All she knew was that she needed him and he wasn't there so had to assume that the reason had to be bad. As the guilt started to set in, she began to get composure of herself. She turned her body so that she could see Inuyasha's back get slowly smaller as the distance between them grew. "How could I ever think those things about him?" before she knew it she was sprinting after him, she was about half way to him when she screamed his name. "Inuyasha!"

Upon instinct Inuyasha turned around to face her. His mouth fell slightly open as he looked at her expression. She was running full speed towards him, tears now freely rolling down her cheeks, as she yelled his name over and over. He was still in a state of confusion as she slammed her body into him and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck.

"I'm sorry." She muttered over and over and she tried to tighten her embrace on him. It took Inuyasha a few shocked seconds before he wrapped his arms tightly around her waist pulling her against him as he buried his head in her hair. On his shoulder he could feel the wetness of her tears soaking into his kimono as she kept repeating the phrase over and over.

"Its okay Kagome, I'm here." It seemed like now he was repeating his own phrase over and over to try and reassure her. He tears soon became into sobs and Inuyasha just pulled her closer. He shut his eyes and held her, relishing in the feeling of holding her in his arms once more. Like Inuyasha, Kagome was overjoyed to feel his strong arms wrapped around her, but her thoughts were suddenly interrupted when a thick heaving cough escaped from her throat. Soon one turned to many and she tried to cover her mouth with one of her hands.

When Inuyasha had first heard her hoarse cough he was too wrapped in his own feelings to realize what it was, but when she coughed again, the second time being much harder he realized that something was wrong. Carefully, he unwrapped his arms from her waist and began to untangle hers from his neck as he began to sit her down on the ground. She covered her mouth as the coughing attack began to set in more and Inuyasha backed off some to give her some space, which meant letting go of her. Inuyasha was kind of hesitant at first but knew that she needed air. When his hand left her back, Kagome looked up at him, her expression changing from hurt to anxious as her teary eyes pleaded with him.

"Don't…let go." She said through one of her coughs, but after her single her sentence her lungs protested her urge to speak by bringing on more and more pained coughs.

Inuyasha instantly knelt back down to her and wrapped his arms around her shaking body. Minutes passed and gradually her coughs dispersed until they stopped. She had to clear her throat a few times but soon it was completely silent as the two of them sat in each others arms. Kagome had her head resting against Inuyasha's shoulder and he had his chin resting on her head. Inuyasha was still quite worried about her and still confused about what had brought on her coughing attack. As if Kagome had read his mind, she answered his questions.

"I guess I shouldn't have sprinted like that." She said, a slight mocking chuckle escaping her lips. Once again her lungs protested against her attempt to lighten the mood by making her cough one more smaller cough. She felt Inuyasha's body tense up around her, probably worried that she would start coughing severely again. "My lungs still aren't healed. The doctor said that I should've died from the amount of smoke I inhaled." Once again she felt Inuyasha flinch and this time she turned her body slightly so that she could move her head and look up at him. His teeth were clenched and his eyes were closed. His expression was tormented.

"Inuyasha?" he had heard her speak his name, her voice clouded with pain and worry, but he couldn't focus on anything except the picture of her dead body that loomed in his mind before he resuscitated her. His body shuddered as he pictured her lifeless face…then all the sudden those thoughts disappeared when he felt something warm on his face. He opened eyes to see Kagome only inches from his face with her hand cupped around his cheek, stroking it lightly with her thumb and s soft smile gracing her lips. They looked into each other's eyes only for a few more seconds before Kagome softly pressed her lips to his. When she pulled away he voice came out in a whisper. "I love you."

Inuyasha studied her expression as she gazed up at him, but that didn't last long. Soon, and some what abrupt, he crashed his lips into hers, letting out all the feelings of worry and love that had accumulated the past several weeks. Kagome reached up, one hand still on his cheek and the other entwining itself into his silver hair as Inuyasha used his own hand to cup the back of her head, pulling her closer to him. His other hand wrapped instinctively around her waist wanting to be closer to her. Kagome pulled slightly away to once again look into those amber pools that only pulled her deeper into him.

Inuyasha used just the edge of his tongue to trace the inside of her lips, wanting her to allow him into her mouth. Kagome obliged without hesitation and Inuyasha pushed his tongue into her mouth, wanting to explore every part of her. But Kagome wouldn't let it be that easy as she used her own tongue to push back against his. A small moan rumbled in Inuyasha's throat as Kagome tried to prevent his original plan. Upon hearing this, Kagome had to hold back her giggle as their tongues battled playful against each other.

This time Inuyasha was the one to pull back. Kagome took this chance to breathe in some much needed air. When she focused her attention back on Inuyasha, he was smirking playfully, obviously referring to her attempts to thwart him. She let out her small giggle as her smile stretched out across her face. Inuyasha's smirk widened just before he smashed his lips into hers, this time not waiting for her permission to enter her mouth. The battle was on once again, and in these few moments Inuyasha couldn't be more content with his life.

If he had been paying any attention he would have noticed his two friends watching them with happy smiles just down the hill from where they were setting.

Miroku and Sango exchanged happy glances before turning around to let their friends be.

By this time the battle was over and Inuyasha had won. Now they were just looking at each other, Inuyasha planting small pecks on her lips every so often. On his last one, Kagome reached up and held his face there for a few more seconds before releasing. "Do you love me Inuyasha?" Her smile was full of life, already knowing the answer but wanting to hear in from him. He smiled back a true genuine smile before pulling her into a tight hug and whispering in her ear.  
"Always."

* * *

**A/N: Okay so I have to say that I am EXTREMLY proud of this chapter. I had such a good time writing it and I didnt stop once. When first coming into it, i was a little nervous because like many of my other chapters i wasnt sure what to write. But after the first paragraph the story picked up and i started to type faster and faster. Pretty soon it was like it was writing itself. this was probally one of my favorites. Anyways i hope that u guy liked as much as i did and i hope the wait wasnt too long. I look forward to your reviews. **


	41. Happiness

****

A/N: Ok so I know I havent updated lately, and you have ever reason to be mad at me. Truthfully, I was working on something else for a little bit because I had really bad writers block (that happens a lot with this story). So to make it up to you this one is a little longer than the other. (not by much tho). So enjoy!

**PS ****In Japanese "Hana" means "Flower"**

* * *

After spending about another hour together on the hill, Inuyasha took Kagome back to her time to gather her things, which meant that she was planning on returning with him, much to Inuyasha's dismay. While on one hand, he missed Kagome deeply and wanted her to stay with him; he also thought that she should stay home for a few more days to get better. He had strongly insisted that Kagome do this, but she was just as stubborn and insisting as he was, and eventually she had won. So with a triumphant smile on her lips, they traveled 500 years into the future to Kagome's era.

When they arrived, Inuyasha planned to be greeted with happy smiles as they usually were whenever Kagome returned from his era. But this time, however, was different. Instead of finding her happy, cheerful mother, they found an enraged, some could even say scary, woman that looked closely like Mrs. Higurashi. It was obviously apparent that something was off today and it only took a matter of a few seconds for Inuyasha to find out what that _off_ thing was.

"Kagome _Hana_ Higurashi!" Kagome knew that it was bad if her mother resorted to using her middle name and so she slightly cringed at hearing her mother's angry cry. They had almost made it to the staircase, but in the end her mother had caught her. She took in a long deep breath, then turned to face her mother with an overly cheerful smile on her face, hoping that maybe it would somehow pacify her mother's infuriated demeanor. It didn't help.

"Don't look at me like you don't know what I am talking about!" she yelled, placing her hands on her hips. "And just where do you think you've been?" it was then that she noticed Inuyasha, slightly and slowly making his way to the corner of the room. "Oh, hello Inuyasha dear, I didn't even see you there." She said with a happy smile. Inuyasha, surprised by her sudden mood change, just nodded. Kagome, thinking that she was out of the danger zone, tried to change the subject.

"Yes, Inuyasha's here. Go on Inuyasha tell her how you've been..." Kagome said while looking over to Inuyasha innocently, though underneath she was praying that he'd get the hint. Inuyasha's mouth almost fell to the floor. He knew what she was doing, or trying to do at least. She was putting him in the spotlight and taking herself out of it, this way he would be in the hot seat.

"M-me…?" he stuttered, still gaping at her. He was never good with words in general and even worse when he was put on the spot. The two looked at each other, showing the emotions that were hidden on their faces through their eyes.

"I have a better idea," Mrs. Higurashi said suddenly after the silent eye war between Inuyasha and Kagome lasted to long for her taste. "How about we get back to Kagome." She suggested with a tone that showed just how well Kagome's subject change had gone over. Kagome rotated her body so that she was once again facing her mother. _"Thanks a lot Inuyasha, you just couldn't get the hint could you?"_ she said in her head, silently giving him one last evil glare out of the corner of her eye.

Inuyasha had seen that look before. It was one of the few looks that Kagome gave him that actually made him flinch a little. So, right after the stare down ended, he began to take quiet steps towards the stairs. Every time the floor would squeak, he froze, afraid that one of them would turn around and notice that he was trying to leave. As soon as he was clear he quickly went up the stairs to wait for Kagome in her room. Of course neither one of the women fell for his "nonchalant" act, but they let it go, knowing that the issue at hand was much more important then scaring Inuyasha any further.

"Follow me please." Although her statement seemed harmless, there was an underlying message of authority that made Kagome gulp before doing what she was told and following her mother. It may sound silly, being afraid of a simple sentence, but Kagome's mother _never_ got mad. When she did it was a _very_ big deal. Not only that but when Kagome was child she was never one to disobey or throw tantrums. She did almost everything she was told, and rarely got into trouble. It wasn't very hard either; it was something that came naturally to her. In her eyes, she thought that if she obeyed her mother that it would make her happy, especially since in Kagome's younger years, her mother was quite depressed over her husband's death, though she never let Kagome see it.

That was another thing that came natural to her. Perception. She could tell by simply looking into a person's eyes what they were feeling, maybe not exactly, but the gist of it. Thinking back on it, she was very good at it until she met Inuyasha. Although she had tried, she could never figure out what he was feeling or trying to say. That boy had turned her world upside down in more ways than one. She stopped her thoughts when she noticed her mother sit on the stone bench next to the Sacred Tree. Her mother gently patted the seat beside herself, beckoning her daughter to sit. Kagome took her time walking towards the bench, still trying to figure out what she was planning on saying to her mother.

"So you better have very good explanation for all this." Kagome took her eyes away from her mother, silently debating with herself if she should just tell the truth or try to scheme her way out of this. She didn't choose the smart option.

"Well technically, you said that I couldn't leave the shrine, and technically the Well House is inside the shrine, so I never really left it…" when she finished, she looked up to see if her excuse even scratched the surface. It didn't. But as hopeful as she tried to be about thwarting her mother, she knew her attempts were wasted. Mrs. Higurashi had both her eye brows perked up, a look like "Do you really want to go with that?" plastered on her face. Kagome just sighed, and moved her gaze to the sky. Yes, she had to admit, it was a stupid attempt and she knew now that she had to tell her mother her feelings behind the actions.

"The truth is…" Kagome started her sentence, but didn't really know how to put what she was feeling into words. It took her only a few more seconds to realize what she was truly feeling. "I'm happy." Her mother looked at her daughter, somewhat confused by her response. It didn't really answer her question and hoped that Kagome would continue. To be honest, the moment that sentence escaped her daughter's lips, she wasn't really concerned about the punishment she was supposed to dispatch, she was more intrigued about what else Kagome was going to say and was silently hoping that maybe she could explain the zombie-like-state she had been in since she woke up from the hospital.

"When I was in the hospital I was anxious and uneasy because I was waiting for him to show up, so when he never did, I was heartbroken and confused. Thinking back on it, me and Inuyasha's relationship had been those exact two emotions for quite some time now and I guess it was really taking a toll on me. Of course, it wasn't his fault, if anyone is to blame, it's me, but I just felt in my heart that I had to do something, _anything_ to stop this throbbing in my chest, so without thinking, I jumped into the Well, determined to end whatever was wrong between us, even if that meant ending our relationship." Kagome stopped speaking and gazed once more up into the sky. She let her eyes dance from star to star until they finally settled on the moon. Out of the corner of her eye Mrs. Higurashi stared at her daughter noticing the contentment and joy written in her eyes. She followed Kagome's gaze to the moon and continued to watch it as Kagome once again began to speak.

"You know what? None or that even matters. I am just going to let it go because Inuyasha is with me now, and I am so happy and so lucky that he is the one that I am going to spend forever with." Mrs. Higurashi took her gaze from the sky and stared at her daughter. Tears welled up in the proud mother's eyes as she took in Kagome's smiling face. She knew in her heart that Kagome was truly happy and that was the only thing she ever truly wanted for her daughter; happiness.

"Mom are you alright?" Kagome said as she noticed the woman's tears. Nodding, while whipping the fallen water from her eyes, her mother recomposed her face so she could respond. "I'm fine dear…I am just thinking about your father and remembering the same feeling that you have with Inuyasha that I had with him…" she paused for a brief moment to take another longing glance at the sky. "Why don't you head back inside, I am sure Inuyasha is waiting for you." She said to Kagome with a smile.

She felt bad for her mother, but realizing that she probably would want to be alone; she agreed and made her way to the house.

Mrs. Higurashi stayed sitting on the bench, staring at the stars as memories of past times floated in her head. Closing her eyes as she let her tears fall, she pictured her husbands face. _"Oh Kanoku…" _

Inuyasha closed the door behind him as he walked into Kagome's room and then flopped himself upon her bed. He stared up at the ceiling for a few moments; trying to picture the different scenarios that could happen once Kagome came looking for him. He knew two things for sure. One; she was going to be really pissed and Two; many 'sits' were going to be involved. He groaned at that last part and sat back up. He didn't know how long this "talk" was going to be between Kagome and her mother so he figured he better find something to do.

He stood up and began to sniff and shuffle around Kagome's room, curiosity finally getting to him. It had been ages since they last came here together, and though not much changed, he noticed the little things. For one, her desk had been moved slightly more towards the window, allowing space for a small, yet comfy looking, chair. He went to her dresser and relooked over her pictures. There was a new one of her father and mother standing side by side in front of the Sacred Tree. Kagome's mother looked a little older than Kagome's age in this photo, so he assumed that this picture might have been taken even before the two got married.

He set the back down in its proper place then made his way to her computer desk. He sat down in her wooden chair and rummaged around the small items that lay on top. There were a few text books and a cup with pens and pencils next to them. In a stack to the left of that were some old papers of hers and next to that was three yellow bottles with white caps. Inuyasha's eye brows pulled down in a look of confusion as he picked up one of the tiny things. On the outside it had a label with lots of numbers and writing on it; he also noticed Kagome's name was printed on there too. On the inside, three-quarters of the vile was filled with what looked like white pills. He set that one down and examined the others. One had pink pills and the other had blue. At first he was confused as to what these were but as the dots connected together in his mind, he got angry. He knew exactly what these were for, and though Kagome had tried to fool him, he knew that her injuries were more serious than she lead on. After she was done sitting him or whatever she wanted, he was going to have a serious talk with her.

The window was cracked open, so when Kagome's voice gently drifted inside, Inuyasha's ear automatically twitched in that direction. He pushed the chair back a little so that he could stare at the two figures sitting at the bench by the Sacred Tree. It kind of surprised him to see them both staring off into the sky, from the mood down stairs he figured that at least one of them would be yelling, but there they sat, a look of complete contentment on their faces.

"When I was in the hospital I was anxious and uneasy because I was waiting for him to show up, so when he never did, I was heartbroken and confused." Inuyasha's ears flattened when he heard this, knowing how much stress and suffering he had caused her. Of course when it was all happening he thought for sure that that was the best for her, but now, with Kagome's help, he was trying to think that maybe there were other options to making her safe…

The sound of Kagome's voice broke him out of his thoughts and he refocused his attention back to her.

"Thinking back on it, me and Inuyasha's relationship had been those exact two emotions for quite some time now and I guess it was really taking a toll on me. Of course, it wasn't his fault, if anyone is to blame, it's me, but I just felt in my heart that I had to do something, _anything_ to stop this throbbing in my chest, so without thinking, I jumped into the Well, determined to end whatever was wrong between us, even if that meant ending our relationship." It was hard for him not to cringe at that last sentence. He couldn't even imagine a world without Kagome by his side anymore. Even those few days without her next to him were unbearable, so a lifetime without her would be out of the question.

"You know what? None or that even matters. I am just going to let it go because Inuyasha is with me now, and I am so happy and so lucky that he is the one that I am going to spend forever with."

Going to spend forever with? Did Kagome just say that? He tore his gaze away from the window, now staring absently at the desk as that thought once again processed through his head. _"I wonder if she really feels that way..."_ What am I going to now? How am I going to face her?

Don't get the wrong idea, of course Kagome's words weren't a bad thing, it was just like Kagome had reached into his brain and pulled the words out of his head. It was a strange feeling, knowing that Kagome could practically read his mind like that. He had wanted to say that to her since the night he saved her from the fire. But then again, maybe he was just reading too much into it. Maybe Kagome just said those things to appease her mother?

At that moment Kagome walked into the room. His reaction to her was delayed, being so deep in thought, but after a few seconds he looked up to stare at her. At first she thought that something was wrong, the look in his eyes confused her and she couldn't put her finger on the emotion that was held in his golden orbs.

"Inuyasha, what's wrong?" though he had heard her question, his mind was still trying to come up with an answer on what to do. He stared back at her once again, this time really looking at her. He took in every feature about her; they way hair liked to frame her face, and how her eyes lit up when she was happy. He remembered her smile and laugh, and that little blush she did if he kissed her the right way.

He stood up, only one thought running through his mind. _"Go for it."_ So with abrupt swiftness, he made his way to her in one long stride and crashed his lips forcefully against hers. It didn't take long for Kagome to respond; in fact it was almost instantaneous. She wrapped both her arms around his neck, pulling her closer to him as he entwined one hand around her waist and the other to the back of her neck. They stood there for a few minutes, letting their lips move in perfect synchronization, before Inuyasha picked her up and carried her to the bed. They both flopped down to the bed, making it bounce them a little as they continued to kiss and let their hands wander over each other. Kagome reached up and was about to pull off her shirt when Inuyasha grabbed her wrists. She looked at him, her face red and her breathing rigid.

"What…what is it?" she asked, still breathless. Inuyasha looked away from her, the grip on her wrists loosening. She let go of her shirt and placed her hands back in his, waiting for an answer.

If his stupid conscience hadn't gotten to him, he and Kagome would practically be mates right now, but as he was kissing her, a random memory from his childhood invaded his thoughts, making him think twice about his actions. It wasn't really a single memory, it was more a sequence of bits and pieces of memories.

"Filthy half-breed!"

"You're not worthy of being loved!"

"You don't deserve to have been born!"

"You're of bad blood, nobody wants you!"

"I'm insulted by the fact that you even share some of father's blood."

He shook his head back and forth, trying to forget the angry words of his past. Of course, they all weren't from the same person, most were actually from the village he and his mother used to live in, but that didn't change the fact that maybe they were right. He knew that if he ever bedded Kagome, she would be forever marked as a "Half-breeds lover". Inuyasha just couldn't give someone as pure and forgiving as Kagome that kind of reputation.

"I-I have to step outside for a minute." He let go of Kagome's hands and stood up. Kagome kept her eyes on him, still confused by his actions. He wanted this didn't he? Or did she get the signs mixed up?

"Did I…do something…wrong?" He looked back at her after she said this and he could see the hurt and confusion that consumed her eyes. He turned away, even more disgusted with himself than before, than after a short paused he went to her window and leapt from the second story floor.

Kagome shot up and ran over the window. She watched him runaway as the wind flowed gently through her hair.

"I don't understand…"

--

_**Okie dokie, so I know that there was little bit of angst towards the end (i cant help it, its my favorite kind to write) but hopefully things will get resolved in the next chapter. I hope you guys liked it and its my first time writing anything remotely close to a Lemon. (im still not sure if theres going to be one). Tell me what you guys think about Ch 41 in your reveiws, i look foward to reading them.**_

_**Wolfhowler245**_


	42. AUTHORS NOTE

Dear Readers,

Dear Readers,

I need you help!! Honestly, I have started writing chapter 42 like fourteen times and I always get stuck. I just don't know what to do about the lemon thing. Should I write one? Should I not? How do I go about writing one? These are all questions that are floating around in my head and obviously the answer to these questions affects the outcome of this chapter. So I am asking you all a favor, if you could give me your opinion or any ideas you have please let me know. I am really confused by this and I figured that the only other people that would understand how important this decision is, is my readers who love the story as much as I do. So please, once again, feel free to leave any comments, opinions or ideas. Thank you.

Wolfhowler245


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